STRONG WORLD
by XFangHeartX
Summary: Summary inside. LuffyXNami. Read and review, and no flames or hate, please! Thank you.
1. Prologue

ONE PIECE: STRONG WORLD

A Fan Novelization of the Movie

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

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><p>Summary- The Straw Hat Pirates are one of their biggest adventures, yet! Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji's hometowns in the East Blue are in jeopardy, so Luffy and the gang decide to postpone their adventure in the Grand Line and go back home for the time being in order to protect it. However, things take an unexpected turn when a legendary pirate known as "Golden Lion" Shiki tricks the ragtag crew, kidnaps Nami, and separates everyone on a floating archipelago that is overrun with huge, savage, mutated animals! Things go from bad to worse when Nami is forced to make a difficult decision that may just save her home. Who will Nami choose? Luffy, her most trusted and loyal friend and captain? Or Shiki, a cunning trickster who seems too powerful for even Luffy to defeat? Find out in One Piece: Strong World!<p>

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

The sound of a siren blaring filled the air. It reverberated throughout the Marine HQ, sending the soldiers scrambling here and there. Some would clumsily bump into each other as they ran up and down the stairs, trying to gather weapons such as rifles, cutlasses, and cannons.

Inside Marine HQ, standing upon the balcony, two of the highest ranking Marines watched the orange sky: Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice-Admiral Monkey D. Garp. Now, these two may seem more calm and collected than the soldiers, but deep down inside, they, too, were as panicked as they were.

"What complete and utter madness," Sengoku seethed.

"You took the words right outta my mouth, Sengoku," said Garp. "There's only man I know in this world in this entire world that is capable of doing such a thing…"

Up in the sky, it was revealed that many of the Marine battleships were seen…somehow suspended in midair!

Just then, something overshadowed Marine HQ, forcing Garp and Sengoku to look up, as well as the soldiers.

A huge landmass appeared, also suspended in the air, pushed forward by rows of oars.

"The only known survivor from the age of 'Pirate King' Gol D. Roger," Sengoku said.

"Where in the hell have you been hiding these past 2 decades?" Garp asked seemingly to no one in particular. "You lost to Roger and was apprehended by the Marines…the man who cut off his own two feet, shook off his chains, and escaped from the greatest Marine prison, Impel Down…"

Up on one of the watchtowers, an old man was seen, and judging by the liver spots on his face, he was possibly in his mid-60s. He was dressed like a Japanese shogun, and had long, golden locks and a cigar in his mouth. However, his most interesting features of all was that he had what appeared to be a steering wheel lodged in his head and two katana for feet.

"'Golden Lion' Shiki!"

The old man slowly raised his hand, a sick grin playing across his lips.

"Consider this," he began, "a warning."

The man gave a slight wave of his hand.

Suddenly, the battleships came crashing down from the sky, plummeting into the ocean below and exploding as they did, due to holding gunpowder and other explosives. Some Marines were unfortunate to be submerged by the resulting wave. Several other Marines fired cannons and rifles, hoping to shoot the landmass down, but it was all for not, for the target was too far out of range.

Garp seethed as he watched such a humiliating defeat.

"I wish you had just remain a legend, you scumbag," he hissed, "and yet, here you are, come back for revenge against the World Government. Damn it all!"

"JIHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!"

As that menacing laughter resounded through the sky, it was then that Garp and Sengoku knew…the world was in for a disaster.

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><p>That's right, everybody, it's gonna be an adaption of THE GREATEST One Piece film of all time: STRONG WORLD! Stick around for the fun!<p>

Read and review, please!


	2. Ch 1 Survival of the Fittest

**Ch. 1- Survival of the Fittest**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

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><p>The air was humid, and the foliage was dense. He panted as he trudged up the path, pushing leaves and shrubbery out of his way. The moment he exited the jungle, he saw a huge cliff before him.<p>

Monkey D. Luffy stepped toward a ledge, getting a good view of what was below him. However, as he put his treasured straw hat and pilot's goggles over his head, he had one thing in mind.

"I've gotta hurry and find everybody!"

With that being said, Luffy discarded his "explorer's staff" and took a death-defying leap off the cliff, taking a huge skydive towards the forest below. A huge smile came upon his face as he fell.

He lived for this stuff.

"Gum GUUUUUM…" Luffy cried as his cheeks flapped in the wind. "BALLOON!"

Luffy took in a deep breath and expanded like a beach ball the size of a horse, causing his skydive to slow into a rather short descent until he hit terra firma safely…

**CRASH!**

Or not.

The moment Luffy landed, he was suddenly running for his life, and whatever was chasing him was huge, for it made the trees behind Luffy fell over. As he ducked beneath the root of a gigantic tree, it was then that creature that was chasing him was revealed.

It looked like a giant, flat gator, and it looked about ready to have Luffy for a mid-morning snack.

"AAAAAAAAAH~!" Luffy screamed.

The monstrous gator opened its jaws wide, prepared to devour Luffy, whole.

**SPROING!** Luffy stretched his arms and made a grab for a high tree branch.

"Gum Gum…ROCKET!"

**WOOSH!** Luffy catapulted himself away from the beast, just in time.

As the giant gator watched, confused as to how its meal got away, it felt something slam onto its back, causing it to let out a roar in pain.

Three large tentacles wrapped themselves around the gator and lift from the ground, and as quick as a flash, more tentacles pummeled it until it lay dead as a doornail. Its attacker was revealed to giant pink octopus with moss growing on its head. The octopus was at least 100 times the size of a regular octopus with twenty tentacles which allowed it to crawl at an incredible speed, going into the direction Luffy ran off.

Speak of the devil, Luffy came leaping out of the forest and braked to a halt on his sandals. He looked back, hoping he had lost that gator. Good news: he did. Bad news: now he had a giant octopus on his tail.

"Ah, crap!" cursed Luffy in frustration before the chase began, again, ducking and jumping to avoid a grab from the octopus's oversized tentacles. However, as he ran, he saw something come into his field of vision. It looked like a horse-sized praying mantis with humming wings and blades for arms!

"What the hell?" Luffy gasped before he ducked under the mantis in the nick of time. He rolled along the ground until he landed, face-first, and then pulled himself up, looking back at the spectacle before him.

The mantis slashed at the octopus before it landed on stone wall behind it. Just then, two of the octopus's tentacles came off, chopped into bits. Shocked by this, the octopus attempted to escape, but then…

**BASH!** The giant mantis crashed into it, sending it flying into a wall. The giant insect landed on a dried up fountain and let out a loud squeak. However, its victory was not to be had, for the mantis suddenly found itself clasped in between two huge, crushing paws.

**BAM!** The mantis was thrown to the ground before its attacker grabbed its arm and pulled into an airtight, crushing bear-hug before…

**SLAM!** The mantis was pile-driven, headfirst, into the ground, revealing its attacker to be a giant bear with overly long arms and black-and-white striped fur.

**RRRAAAAAAAAAWWWRRR!** The bear let out a roar in victory.

Luffy just sat in his place, bewildered. He had been here for a couple of weeks, now, and he had had run-ins with these strange creatures.

"One big animal after another," he said. "Seriously, what the hell's up with this island?"

At that moment, the bear suddenly caught Luffy's scent, and turned to him. It got down on all fours and charged forward in a gallop.

Luffy gritted his teeth before he stood, taking a fighting stance.

"Oh, so you wanna go, huh?" he questioned. "Well, bring it on!"

Luffy and the bear charged at each other, the former reeling back a fist.

"Gum Gum…PISTOL!" Luffy cried as shot his forward to punch the bear.

However, the bear jumped over his elongated arm, surprising the rubber boy.

"Uh-oh…" he muttered.

**BAM!** The bear slapped his paw against Luffy, sending him flying towards a tree. As he landed, he wrapped his arm around another tree as his already stretched out arm. It was then that he remembered one crucial fact…

"That's right," he said to himself. "I shouldn't underestimate the animals here!"

**SNAP!** Luffy's arm snapped back into place. Then, he put his thumb into his mouth.

"Gear…THIRD!" he exclaimed as he bit down on the tip.

The bear, meanwhile, growled at Luffy, taking it as a challenge, and charged at him once again.

Luffy let go of the tree, causing himself to be catapulted forward.

"Bone BALLOON!" he shouted as he blew air into his bones, causing the arm to inflate to at least 10 times its usual size. "Gum…Gum…GIANT PISTOL!"

As Luffy threw his humungous, the bear finally realized that it had bitten off more than it could chew. Before it could run away…**POW!** Luffy's Giant Pistol made impact and sent it crashing into one of the statues.

The bear fell to the ground, eyes rolled to the back of its head, unconscious and defeated.

Meanwhile, all the air that Luffy had blown into his bones was now being let out of him, causing him to go flying all over the place, not just causing his arm to shrink, but his whole body, as well.

A toddler-sized Luffy soon landed on the octopus's bulbous back, safely. The moment he realized that he was safe, he stood up and sighed, putting his hat back on his head.

"That was a close one," he said, his voice now in a higher pitch. He looked himself over, furrowing his eyebrows as he did. "Shrinking after using that move is such a pain, though."

**GRUMBLE!** Luffy's stomach started to make its usual hungry sounds, again.

He just realized how hungry he was. He had eaten the last of his meat not too long ago, but his appetite came around, once again.

At that moment, he noticed the octopus he was standing on.

**GURBLE!** Luffy's stomach let out another roar.

"This octopus sure looks yummy," he murmured to himself.

XXX

**UUUUURRRRRRP!**

A monstrous belch reverberated throughout the forest.

"'Scuse me."

Luffy lay on his back, patting his distended stomach. He let out a sigh of satisfaction, running his tongue over his lips.

Nearby, the octopus was still there, only now, it had 3 tentacles left. Luffy, in his greedy hunger, had taken the other 15, cooked them over a fire, and slurped them all up like they were noodles, all in a matter of 5 minutes.

"Man, I couldn't eat another bite," said Luffy. "That octopus was so good…not as good as Sanji's cooking, though."

At the mention of Sanji, Luffy reminded himself of the real mission at hand.

"Oh, right!" he said. "I gotta find the others!"

With that being said, Luffy, his stomach now slimmed down, picked up another stick and marched off to find his missing crew.

XXX

Meanwhile, at what appeared to be some autumn ruins, three familiar figures were seen walking along a stone bridge over a large lake.

It was Nico Robin, Franky (his hair drooping from lack of cola), and Brook.

As the trio kept walking, Brook suddenly stopped and turned around.

"That's odd," he said. "I wonder what that noise was, just now."

"Whatever it is Bones," Franky started, "forget about it. We can worry about it, later."

Brook turned to face the ruins that they had just exited from. As he did, he spotted something coming out from the shadows.

It was a huge, black mass, making scurrying and squeaking noises…and it was headed right for him.

Brook dropped his jaw and let out a gasp.

"OH, NO~!" he screamed.

Franky and Robin suddenly turned and ran to the skeletal musician's aid.

"What now?" Franky questioned, angrily.

As he and approached, he saw that the mass was actually a swarm of at least 10 million tiny ants, all donned in armor and armed with spears and other weapons.

Franky seethed.

"A bunch of bugs?" he growled, questioningly. "First, we had to deal with a crazy-mad gorilla, and now I gotta deal with some little bugs? What next?"

Brook cowered in fear as the ants got closer, but the moment he flinched, the ants just ran right passed him, as if they never noticed him.

"Huh?" he mumbled.

Franky and Robin soon stopped in their tracks when they realized that the ants were coming for them. The former growled as he armed himself with his arm bazooka.

"You wanna piece of ol' Franky, huh?" he barked. "Well, bring it on!"

"Franky," Robin called. "Didn't you run out of fuel not too long ago?"

Franky gasped in realization. He had used the last of his cola to take out that gorilla!

"AH, CRAP!" the cyborg cursed.

**SPLASH!** Something came jumping out of the lake, forcing Franky, Robin, and Brook to look up. The creature that came out looked like a shark with a serpent's body.

As the mutated shark dove down, Robin and Franky quickly ran out of its way to avoid getting caught in its jaws, whilst Brook still cowered from where he was standing.

"Monsters!" he cried. "Monsters everywhere!"

The shark began to circle the bridge, looking for a spot to jump out of next.

"Here it comes, again!" Robin said to Franky, pointing to the shark's protruding dorsal fin, which sliced through the surface of the water.

The ants suddenly stopped as well.

Franky just growled. Of all the times he had run out of fuel, why now?

"Franky!" Robin called, this time sounding rather frantic.

The ants had started to charge, again.

Franky could only seethe in frustration as he removed the skin of his right hand, preparing to use a Strong Hammer attack.

"Damn it," the shipwright cursed. "I can't fight a fish and some bugs and protect you two at the same time without cola!"

**SPLASH!** The sharked leapt out of the water, again, prepared to devour Franky and Robin whole. As it did, the ants jumped up as well, and, amazingly, the shark was reduced to bones in a matter of two seconds by the ants!

Franky went slack-jawed.

"And I thought Straw Hat ate like a pig," he mumbled.

**SPLOOSH!** The shark's skeleton landed in the lake, floating along its surface. Brook, rushing to his crewmates' aid, couldn't help but notice.

"Just like me," he muttered before he went over to Franky and Robin. "Are you two all right?"

Franky turned back to the ants, which had landed behind him and Robin.

"Now I know why they didn't go for you, Bones," said Franky.

"Eh?"

The ants suddenly turned back to the Straw Hat Pirates, apparently still hungry.

"They're just like Straw Hat," Franky continued. "Ants like eating a lot of meat, and that's the one thing you lack."

A pause came.

Just then, Brook exploded in an unexpected anger.

"**WELL I NEVER~!"** he yelled as he dashed forward, his sword drawn.

**FWISH! FWISH! FWISH!** Brook swung his sword this way and that as the ants charged forward, themselves, ignoring the skeleton, who had stopped running.

He began to slowly walk forward, ten steps. Once he reached the tenth, he began to re-sheathe his sword, slowly.

"Three-Verse Humming…"

The ants leapt at Franky and Robin, who were nonchalantly walking forward.

"ARROW NOTCH SLICE!"

Once Brook's sword was fully sheathed, the ants suddenly froze in midair, green blood gushing out of their tiny bodies. Then, they all rained down on the bridge…dead.

As Franky and Robin got closer, Brook suddenly spoke.

"It is true that I am nothing but bones," he said, "but the reason being is because…I've been meaning to drop a few pounds."

Franky made an annoyed sigh as he and Robin walked passed the skeleton.

"Anyway," said Franky. "What the hell is up with this place? Gorillas, armies of ants, huge sharks? What's next?"

"It appears that the animals and insects that live here have evolved to a whole new level," explained Robin. "They show far greater intelligence than humans and regular animals, and they depend on that to survive. However, it seems to make them more aggressive than normal."

"Humph," Franky grunted. "In other words, it's like survival of the fittest." He turned back to Brook, who was still standing in place. "Yo! Bones! Move it, will ya? You're gonna get left behind!"

Brook gasped in realization before he ran to catch up with the other two.

"Wait for me!" he called out. "Hold on, I say!"

XXX

Somewhere on what appeared to be a snowy mountain, there was a traditional Japanese palace. Inside one of the buildings beyond it appeared to be a botanical garden of sorts, as well as a pool. Nearby said pool was the navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates: Nami.

She walked toward the pool's edge before she dove in, stroking her arms gracefully through the water. As she was swimming, she saw two vent in the bottom of the pool.

Nami resurfaced, face looking up to the sky.

Oh, what she would give to leave this place.

At that moment, she had decided that he little dip was over. She climbed out of the pool, walked up to the hammock nearby, and picked up a white towel to dry herself off.

Suddenly, Nami was startled by the sound of music. She gasped softly in surprise as she turned around.

Behind a sheet, there was what appeared to be a man in his mid-60s. He was dressed like a Japanese shogun, and had long, golden locks and a cigar in his mouth. However, his most interesting features of all was that he had what appeared to be a steering wheel lodged in his head and two katana for feet.

Besides him were two other equally bizarre characters.

One was what appeared to be a clown with blue, puffy hair, as well as mime make-up, a pair of indigo overalls, and a lab coat.

The other appeared to be a pink-furred gorilla with a pink jacket, a pair of tiny sunglasses, a pair of polka dot Bermudas and a little blue hat to match, and very short, stubby little legs.

The trio of strange characters started dancing a rather odd dance as they made their way down the stairs, snapping their fingers, bobbing theirs, stepping forward and back, and to finish, they held their hands out to Nami, who simply huffed and turned away, unimpressed.

Shiki smiled at the girl.

"So," said Shiki. "Have you decided yet, Baby Girl?"

Nami turned to the old man, a scornful glare in her eyes.

"Hurry up and lemme outta this place, you creep," she hissed, venomously.

"JIHAHAHA!" laughed Shiki. "Now that some fire in your belly, you've got there! I'm sorry to say that I don't like those kind of girls!"

Nami grunted and continued to dry herself off.

At that moment, the mime-man appeared to remember something. He started to Shiki from behind, but as he did…

**PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!** His footsteps sounded rather like flatulence.

Shiki cringed at the sounds before he angrily turned to face the man.

"HEY!" he barked. "Can't you do a damn thing about those footsteps of yours, Dr. Indigo?"

The man, known as Dr. Indigo, froze in his tracks, and then started to make strange movements, such as hand gestures, feet stomping, and clapping.

"What the hell are you trying to say?" asked Shiki.

"I just remembered," said Dr. Indigo. "I have something to show you!"

"YOU CAN TALK AFTER ALL?" Shiki cried, questioningly.

The gorilla began to laugh, clapping his big paws.

Shiki gasped and turned to face him.

"Mommy?" he questioned.

"THAT'S SCARLET, YOU NINCOMPOOP!" Dr. Indigo corrected, slapping Shiki across the head.

The trio suddenly struck a pose, but Nami just turned away, walking to a nearby glass pane.

"Get outta my sight," she said.

"That's rather cold of you, Baby Girl!" Shiki said, jokingly before he started to laugh.

Nami ultimately decided to ignore him, and looked out the window.

How could she have been so foolish?

How could she and her friends be so foolish?

All she could do, while she was kept here, was regret the mistake that she and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates had made.

_What were we thinking?_ she thought questioningly.

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><p>Read and review, please!<p> 


	3. Ch 2 Crisis

**Ch. 2- Crisis**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

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><p><em>Flashback, one week prior to the storyline…<em>

The Straw Hats had all gathered onto the deck, where Nami had called them to attention.

Why?

No, it wasn't because of lack of rations, again, nor it was because that someone was in trouble.

There was a rather alarming article in the newspaper that caught their attention, mostly the first five members of the crew.

"Wait a minute…what's going on back in the East Blue?" asked Luffy.

"According to the news," Nami started, "villages in the East Blue have been mysteriously wiped out. Here, take a look for yourself."

Luffy took the newspaper and looked at the front page. Sitting besides him were Usopp and Blizzard, the latter of whom was wearing a traditional Japanese robe after taking baths.

"So far, our home islands are okay," said Nami, "but I don't know how long it's gonna stay that way."

Tony-Tony Chopper, wearing a pink teddy bear bathrobe, turned to Brook, who was currently smoking a cigarette. The smoke came out from his mouth and eye sockets.

"Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp were born in the East Blue, you know," he said.

"Is that so?" he asked.

Chopper then turned to Sanji, who was also taking a smoke, sitting on the stairs with Roronoa Zoro, who was currently lifting a dumbbell in his hand.

"Oh, yeah," said Chopper. "Aren't you from the East Blue, Sanji?"

"On the contrary," Sanji corrected. "I was born in the NORTH Blue, but I was raised in the East."

"Oh."

Luffy, meanwhile, was looking at the photo in the front page. There appeared to be some sort of boulder or something or other.

"What's that thing?" questioned Usopp. "A meteorite?"

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over the ship, forcing everyone to look up at the sky.

"Huh?" Chopper muttered.

"Hey!" Luffy complained. "What's going on? Who turned off the sun?"

"Is it nighttime already?" asked Zoro.

"It can't be, you Moss-head moron!" Sanji corrected. "It's mid-morning!"

"What'd you call me, Dartboard?"

"YOU HEARD EXACTLY WHAT I CALLED YOU!"

**BONK!** Nami bopped the chef and the swordsman in the head, silencing them.

"An eclipse, perhaps?" Robin questioned.

It was no eclipse.

What really blocked out the sun was a huge floating landmass with what appeared to be a gold lion for a figurehead, being pushed along by rows of long oars, like it was a ship of some kind.

Everyone gasped in surprise, shock, and alarm. Well, Usopp and Chopper were alarmed, anyway.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Usopp cried.

"It's…an island?" Nami answered, questioningly.

"No way!" Luffy shouted. "Why's it floating around and stuff?"

As the island floating further up ahead, the Straw Hats quickly gathered to the helm.

Luffy himself jumped onto the figure head to get a better look.

Robin looked up and pointed at the island.

"It looks like it has a flag," she said.

"What is it?" asked Franky as he took the steering wheel in his hands. "Some kind of ship?"

Usopp raised his spyglass up to his eye to get a closer look. He soon saw that Robin was right. There was indeed a flag on that island, and not just any flag: a pirate flag.

"The flag!" declared Usopp. "It's got a Jolly Roger on it! It's gotta be a pirate ship!"

"A floating island pirate ship?" Sanji questioned. "Now I've just about seen everything!"

**WOOF!** Blizzard barked in agreement.

Just then, Nami felt a sudden chill down her spine when she felt a breeze. She looked up at the sky, gasping softly.

_This wind…_ she thought.

"Luffy!" she called out to her captain. "Luffy, we have to change our course, right away!"

"Why?" asked Luffy. "What's the matter?"

"We're headed right for a cyclone!" Nami answered him. "We need to steer the ship to 9 o'clock, or we'll be blown away!"

"That so?" Luffy asked. "Well then, I guess we better let these guys know, too, right?" He turned to the sky, or rather, the island-ship that was floating there. "HEY~!" he called, waving his arms. "DOWN HERE~! THERE'S A CYCLONE HEADED THIS WAY~!"

"W-w-wait a sec, Luffy!" Usopp stammered. "Maybe that's not a good idea!"

XXX

Up on the island, inside what appeared to be a palace, one of the crew members was seen looking at the _Sunny_ via a screen. He turned to face Shiki, who was sitting on a throne.

"Boss," he said. "It looks like they're trying to get our attention."

"Is it a pirate ship?" asked Shiki.

"Yes, sir," answered the man.

"I see," said Shiki.

XXX

Back down at the _Sunny_…

"HEEEEEYY!" Luffy called out, still waving his hands, when suddenly, he spotted something falling. He grabbed it in mid-air and looked it over. It looked like a golden, conical seashell.

"W-what is it, Luffy?" Usopp stammered, questioningly, "poised" to attack, despite his legs shaking like a rattlesnake's tail.

"Nami!" Luffy called as he threw the shell to his navigator. "Catch!"

Nami catches the shell and looks it over. It was then that the crew realized it was not a shell, but a dial.

"Hey!" said Usopp. "Isn't that a Tone Dial?"

"So these guys have been to the Sky Island, too?" questioned Sanji.

Zoro gave a smirk.

"So I guess these aren't ordinary pirates," said the swordsman. "This ought to be interesting."

Blizzard just snorted.

"I could care less who they are," Luffy said as he approached the crew. "Nami?"

"Right."

XXX

About a moment later, the Tone Dial was sent back up to Shiki, who caught it in his hand.

"Looks like they know how to use it," said Shiki.

**Click!** He pressed the apex on the Tone Dial, and Nami's voice spoke from it.

**"There's a cyclone headed this way! You must turn your ship to 9 o'clock, immediately!"**

Shiki gave the Tone Dial an inquisitive look before looked down at his navigation team.

"There's nothing to worry about, sir," said the chief navigator. "There's absolutely no way that a cyclone is headed in this direction! The barometer seems to be working fine, as well."

The pirate looking at the screen saw that the Straw Hats were steering their ship into the 9 o'clock.

"Then why are they still turning?" he questioned.

At that moment, he suddenly spotted something outside and gasped.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's coming in fast!"

Shiki looked outside the doors and saw huge, dark clouds approaching. He gasped and went bug-eyed.

"A perm?" he cried.

**WHAP!** Dr. Indigo slapped him across the head.

"Those are damn storm clouds, you dolt!" he corrected.

"How can this be?" questioned the Chief Navigator. "Lord Shiki! We must navigate to 9 o'clock! We're right in the path of a huge cyclone!"

Shiki gritted his teeth in shock.

How could his best navigators be able to mess up a prediction like this?

The island-ship steered to 9 o'clock, the direction the Straw Hats were going, but the storm was already upon them.

Shiki brought his arms together, causing the doors to close. However, in doing so, he had left some men outside to the mercy of the cyclone. All they could do was vainly pull and bang at the doors in a desperate attempt to escape

"LORD SHIKI!"

"LET US IN, LORD SHIKI, PLEASE!"

It was too late. The men were carried off by the hurricane-force winds.

XXX

The Straw Hats tried desperately to hang on to whatever they could for dear life as the winds blew hard.

"Whatever you do," Nami cried, "don't let go of whatever it is you're holding!"

Blizzard grabbed onto the railing as tight as he could. As he did, his face took on a bit of a sickly green tint as the rough waves of the storm rocked the ship up and down.

_I think I'm gonna be sick…!_ he thought as he gagged a little, feeling the contents of his stomach of his beginning to rise into his throat.

Chopper was holding on tight to Usopp's leg. However, his tiny form was too light, and he was easily picked up by the wind.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" the little reindeer screamed as the wind prepared to carry him away, but then…

**GRAB!** Usopp grabbed on to Chopper's hoof, tightly and refusing to let go.

"Hang on, Chopper!" he called. "I gotcha!"

"Usopp!" Chopper cried as grateful tears began to form in his eyes.

Nami, meanwhile, was struggling to hang on.

Suddenly, as another strong breeze blew, the navigator found herself being swept away.

"NAMI!"

**WROING!** A familiar rubber arm stretched, wrapped itself around Nami, and reeled her back in, bringing her close to Luffy's chest. All she could do was wrap her arms around her lover's neck, bury her face into his shoulder, and hope that they would escape this storm, soon.

XXX

**KABANG!** A gunshot rang out.

Shiki held a pistol in his hand, and before him kneeled the Chief Navigator, who was clutching his chest in an agonized manner before he fell to the floor…dead as a doornail.

"Don't ever screw up a prediction like that again," hissed Shiki.

"Y-yes, sir!" the navigation team said, cowering fearfully.

Shiki seethed as he looked down at the screen that displayed the _Thousand Sunny_.

"I just don't understand it," he thought aloud. "Who's this girl who possesses the smarts to outdo my best navigators? I ought to go down and pay these pirates a visit."

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><p>Read and review, please!<p> 


	4. Ch 3 Deception

**Ch. 3- Deception**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

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><p>Back on the <em>Sunny<em>, everyone had safely escaped from the cyclone and were now resting.

"Is everybody all right?" Nami asked.

"Yeah, we're okay," Usopp answered, sounding somewhat sickly as he hung his body over the railing.

"Speak for yourself," said Brook. "It feels like my stomach is doing somersaults! Oh, wait. I have no stomach. Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho!"

Luffy and Nami turned to each other and said, simultaneously, "Are you okay?"

They then started to laugh at their little mistake.

"I'm fine," they answered each other, in unison.

They laugh, again.

"Wow," said Nami. "That was actually pretty scary. I thought I was gonna get blown away for a minute."

"Lucky thing I was there, then, huh?" asked Luffy.

"Yeah," answered Nami. "Thanks, Luffy, for saving me back there. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Likewise," Luffy said, his usual goofy grin on his face.

**Grr~! BARK! BARK!** Blizzard started to growl and bark all of a sudden, alerting the rest of the Straw Hats.

"What's the matter, buddy?" Luffy asked, gently stroking the wolf-dog's back.

At that moment, a strange figure appeared… somehow floating down towards the deck.

It was Shiki, his arms crossed over his chest.

The Straw Hats could only look on with mouths agape.

"How did he do that?" asked Luffy to no one in particular.

"Beats…me…!" stammered Usopp.

**Grr~!** Blizzard just growled at the mysterious man.

"I am 'Golden Lion' Shiki, a pirate!" Shiki declared, introducing himself. "Now, which one of you is the voice I heard on the Tone Dial, hmm?"

Nami raised her hand up.

"Uh, that would be me," she said.

Shiki looked the young navigator, from her orange hair, to her feet, and then back up to her…err…cleavage.

Needless to say, anyone, young or old, would be captivated by Nami's outer beauty.

"Well, well, Baby Girl," said Shiki. "You have my thanks, then."

"Uh…don't mention it," Nami said, a small and rather nervous smile upon her face.

"Hey, old man," Luffy called before he pointed up to Shiki's ship. "How come that island's flying around and stuff?"

"Hmm?" Shiki hummed inquisitively. "Oh! You must mean my ship, right? That's all thanks to my Devil Fruit power, the Float-Float Fruit. It gives me the ability to cancel out the gravitational pull of objects and I can make them float to my will!"

He approached one of Zoro's weights and lightly tapped it.

"There we go," he said. "Now, watch and learn."

Everyone gathered to watch.

Shiki then made a slight finger gesture upward, and suddenly, the weight began to float, high up into the air!

Luffy, who was easily impressed, gasped in amazement, while Usopp just backed away in shock.

Just then, the weight fell, and Zoro caught as it dropped with relative ease.

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper just went from surprised to amazed in a matter of seconds.

"That's awesome!" Luffy proclaimed. "Hey, old man! Make me float, too!"

"Me next! Me next!" Chopper chimed in.

"JIHAHAHAHA!" laughed Shiki. "Sorry, but aside from myself, I can't make any other living thing float."

Luffy poked his lips out in a childish pout.

"That sounds pretty lame," he mumbled.

"Boo-boo!" Usopp and Chopper added, pointing their thumbs down.

"Anyhow," said Shiki as he sat down against the mast. "I'd like to thank you kids on my ship. Take it as a token of appreciation for saving my life and my crew. What do you say? Will you come?"

Everyone glanced at each other, as if thinking about what they should do.

"Sorry, but no."

Shiki turned to Luffy, who had his hat concealed over his eyes.

The boy turned back to Shiki, his usual grin on his face.

"You see," he started, "we gotta head back to the East Blue."

Everyone gasped in disbelief, while Shiki seemed to stitch his brow a bit.

Did they hear what they think they just heard? Luffy, wanting to go back home to the East Blue, right now, in the middle of all their adventures?

**FWEET!** Usopp blew the whistle that was dangling around his neck.

"Luffy!" he barked. "Have you lost your mind? What about all our adventures?"

"We'll just have to postpone 'em, for now," answered Luffy. "We can just sit here, cooling our heels, while the folks back at home are in a pinch, now can we?"

"But…but…!" Usopp stammered, trying to come up with words to say, and yet couldn't.

"Looks like we're headed home," said Sanji as he lit a cigarette.

"Are you sure, Luffy?" asked Nami.

"Yeah," Luffy answered. "Besides…this is probably a good excuse to go home and see my Mom, again. I haven't really seen her since I left home for the first time. I told her I'd be okay, but…something tells me she's worried about me."

"I thought your Mom's been dead for 11 years," said Zoro, rather bluntly.

**STOMP!** Nami drove the heel of her shoe into Zoro's foot, making him grit his teeth in agony.

As the swordsman tended to his injured foot, Nami went over and placed her hand on Luffy's shoulder.

"Okay, Luffy," she said. "I totally understand. If this is what you wanna do, then we won't argue with you."

Luffy smiled.

"Thanks, Nami," he said before he turned back to Shiki. "Sorry, old man," he apologized, again, "but we're going and that's that."

Chopper looked around, excitedly. He was ecstatic about seeing where Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji hailed from for the first time.

"I'm starting to like you kids!" declared Shiki. "I get it, now. You guys are from the East Blue, aren't you? You must have friends and family that you're worried about over there. Fine, then. As thanks for helping me out, I'll gladly take you over to the East Blue with my power!"

"Seriously?" Luffy asked. "Gee, thanks old man! You're the best!"

"Sure thing, kid," said Shiki, a grin playing upon his face.

"Can he really do that?" questioned Sanji.

Zoro and Blizzard, however, just remained silent.

They had a bad feeling forming in the pit of their stomachs about this whole thing.

"Okay, men!" Luffy ordered. "We're off to the East Blue!"

"YEAH~!" Usopp and Chopper cheered.

"YOU GUYS ARE TOO HASTY!" Nami barked.

And so, through the use of Shiki's Devil Fruit powers, the _Thousand Sunny_ began to fly through the air, for once without the use of a Coup de Burst, and the Straw Hats followed Shiki, prepared to head back to East Blue.

During the whole ride, Nami began to display a bit of uneasiness, but she continuously shook it off.

Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, and Blizzard, who is wearing an orchid-and-raspberry colored backpack, black spiked anklets, two green bands on his tail, and a tiger-striped bandana around his neck, looked over the railing, amazed at how high up they were.

"So cool!" Luffy said.

"The breeze feels so nice!" added Chopper.

"Are you guys even mentally prepared for a fight?" asked Nami.

Franky, meanwhile, was busy stretching his limbs.

"Honestly," said Brook. "I wish they'd act a bit more nervous than this."

"LOOK WHO'S TALKING!" Nami barked.

Just then, Chopper spotted something in the distance.

"Hey, look!" he called out. "I can see something up ahead!"

The Straw Hats looked in the direction that Chopper was pointing.

What he was pointing to was a huge archipelago, floating high in the sky, the very middle one having a huge ring of water around it.

It was breathtaking to say the least.

"This is so awesome!" Luffy beamed.

"Hey, old guy!" Usopp called. "Is this island up here also because of your Devil Fruit?"

"You bet," answered Shiki. "Once I make something float, it stays that way until either I decided to put it back or until the day I breathe my last breath."

"Look at the huge one in the middle!" Luffy shouted, pointing to the large island with the ring of water.

At that moment, Shiki made a bit of a smirk.

"We're here," he whispered. "Well, then…"

The old pirate suddenly turned to Nami, who felt that uneasy clench in her stomach, once again.

"This is Melville!" declared Shiki to the Straw Hats. "This archipelago is perfect for adventurers such as yourselves! Stay and play for as long you as you want!"

Suddenly, without warning, Shiki grabbed Nami and pulled her to his chest.

"Hey!" Luffy cried as he and the others dashed to Nami's aid.

Shiki then threw his hand down against the deck.

"DOKUJA!" he shouted.

Once Shiki yelled that word, the _Sunny_ soon fell, taking the rest of the Straw Hats with her.

Luffy looked up as he fell and saw Nami, now trapped in Shiki's grasp.

"I've got your navigator, Straw Hat!" Shiki called down to him, mockingly.

"NAMI!" Luffy cried.

**SPROING!** He stretched his arm out in an attempt to grab Nami from Shiki, but then the old pirate made another finger gesture as he cackled.

The ship suddenly began to turn around in mid-fall, taking the Straw Hats by surprise.

**BAM!** The _Sunny's_ crow's nest hit the Straw Hats, and one-by-one, they all fall in separate directions.

Nami could only watch in horror as her crew and her captain disappeared.

"LUFFY! GUYS!" she cried.

"JIHAHAHAHAHAHA~!"

_Flashback end_

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><p>Dun-dun-DUN!<p>

Read and review, please!


	5. Ch 4 IQ

**Ch. 4- IQ**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

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><p>Nami lost her train of thought when she heard the footsteps of Dr. Indigo's shoes. She turned back and saw that he was walking down the stairs, carrying a large bird cage.<p>

"Lord Shiki!" he called. "We have ourselves a newly evolved species! See for yourself!"

As Dr. Indigo set the cage down, the creature inside was revealed to be a yellow bird. It had the head and bill (which was rather runny) of a duck but the tail feathers of a peacock.

"A guitar?" questioned Shiki, stupidly.

**WHAP!** Dr. Indigo slapped across the head, again.

"That's a bird, you simpleton!"

Shiki, Dr. Indigo, and Scarlet struck a pose, once again. However, Dr. Indigo unwittingly opened the bird's cage, allowing it to come out. When it landed on Shiki…

**KRRRZZZZZZZT!** A wave electric shocks circulated from the bird's feathers, shocking Shiki, Dr. Indigo, and Scarlet to a crisp, much to Nami's inner amusement.

Shiki growled before he grabbed the bird by the face and roughly threw it against the ground.

"You little piece of crap!" he barked.

Nami gasped before she ran to the bird's aid.

"Hey!" she cried.

Shiki turned to a half-conscious Dr. Indigo.

"That's the evolution that you were talking about?" questioned Shiki.

"Yes, sir," answered Dr. Indigo. "The bird has the ability to conduct static electricity."

Nami gently petted the bird, which hid behind her in fear, until she caught the word "evolution" in Dr. Indigo's sentence.

"What do you mean, 'evolution'?" she asked as she turned to the villainous trio.

Shiki turned to Nami with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah," he said. "Since you're gonna be a part of this crew, I might as well let you in on a little something, Baby Girl. Before we showed up, this island was once an evolved species for animals and bugs, and it's all thanks to a special plant called IQ. The plant stimulates their brain and causes them to evolve so they can adapt to their environment. With that knowledge, I monopolized all the IQ plants on this island!

Dr. Indigo suddenly stood up.

"After 20 years of research," said Dr. Indigo, "we were able to extract a drug from the IQ plants!" He pulls out a bottle of green liquid. "I called it Serum IQ, or SIQ, for short!"

Nami began to scowl.

"It's simple, really," said Dr. Indigo. "We have hunters scout the island and inject the animals with the serum, thus making their fighting instincts more evolved! However, because of that, it makes them more even more aggressive than natural! That's why this place is practically swarming with those creatures!"

Now Nami went from angry to just plain disgusted. If there was another she hated, it was definitely cruelty towards animals, such as this. She had heard enough.

"That…that's so cruel…!" she hissed. "What are you really up to?"

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough, Baby Girl," said Shiki as he pushed Dr. Indigo out of his way, unwittingly pushing him into the pool. "But only if you become my navigator."

Nami growled at the old pirate. Like Luffy, he obviously doesn't take "no" for an answer.

"Like I said," Nami spat, "I will never-"

"You WILL!" Shiki spat back. "Sooner or later, you're gonna begging me to be your captain. Then, I'll let you have whatever you want, once you've cooled down, a little. After all, there's always something you'd want from your captain, isn't there?"

Nami just glared at Shiki, scornfully.

She was beginning to hate this man more and more.

All of a sudden, Scarlet started to beat his chest.

"What's that, Scarlet?" asked Dr. Indigo, who was soaking wet from coming out of the pool. "You say, 'Give the girl to me'?"

Scarlet nodded his head.

"She's way out of your league, you perverted ape!" Dr. Indigo snapped.

"Ape?" Shiki repeated, questioningly. "Oh, thank God! For a minute, there, I thought that you were my auntie!"

**WHAP!** Dr. Indigo slapped Shiki, once again.

"WHAT PART OF YOUR FAMILY TREE IS MADE UP OF GORILLAS?" he yelled.

The three struck poses, yet again, but Nami just turned away. The bird soon joined her, and they looked out the glass pane, together.

Nami was obviously worried. She had been wondering why it was taking so long for her crew to get here…especially Luffy.

_I guess those animals are keeping everyone busy,_ she thought. _Luffy…where are you?_

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><p>Read and review, please!<p> 


	6. Ch 5 The Village

**Ch. 5- The Village**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

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><p>Meanwhile, somewhere else on the island…<p>

"NAMI~!"

Sanji had shouting Nami and Robin's names, everywhere he went, desperately trying to find her, and an exasperated Usopp, who was currently hiding behind a cherry blossom tree, was trying to quiet him down.

"Shh~!" he shushed. "Keep it down, Sanji! You're gonna-"

The humming of wings is heard, and before long, a huge Hercules beetle appeared.

"AAAAAHH!" Usopp screamed as he and Sanji made a run for it. "A GIANT BEETLE!"

**FWOOSH!** The beetle let out a huge breath of fire.

XXX

A moment later…

"ROBIN~!"

Sanji now stood on top of the defeated beetle.

"Seriously, Sanji!" Usopp said. "Quiet down-"

A loud screech is heard, and a huge bird with four wings appeared.

"AAAAAAAHH!" screamed Usopp as he ran off. "A GIANT CHICKEN!"

XXX

Another moment later…

"NAMI~!"

Sanji and Usopp were now running from a lime green giraffe with a twisted neck.

"Why do you insist on wasting your breath?" Usopp asked.

XXX

ANOTHER moment later…

"ROBIN-"

Sanji and Usopp now found themselves getting chased by a giant caterpillar.

"OH, WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP!" Usopp cried.

The two Straw Hats climb up a tree and began to swing on some vines. While Sanji swung away with relative ease, Usopp found that it was easier said than done.

Usopp slipped, just when the caterpillar was about to lunge at him, but at the last second, Sanji grabbed the sniper's ankle, and the caterpillar fell of the ledge it had jumped from and into the forest below.

"Phew!" Sanji sighed, relieved. "Man, that was a close one."

"S…Sanji…!"

"What now?"

Usopp was pointing upward, eyes wide with terror.

"Up! Up!" he cried. "Look up!"

Sanji did as he was told and looked up, but soon wished that he didn't.

Upon looking up, he saw that he what he grabbed was not a vine, but the whisker of a gigantic, blue-furred, six-legged, two-tailed, saber-tooth tiger. It was obviously asleep before Sanji had grabbed its whisker, and it didn't look very happy about being woken up from its slumber.

Now, it was just hungry.

Seeing the situation at hand, Sanji made a grab for the nearest as he began to try and get down, but the tiger was already on its way down the tree. Knowing that he couldn't climb and hang onto Usopp at the same time, the cook threw the sniper to the ground.

**THUD!** Usopp fell into the flowers, his long nose now stuck in the ground. Once he managed to pull it out, he saw that he was now face-to-face with the hungry tiger.

"Uh…!" Usopp gasped. "OH, SANJI DEAR! A LITTLE HELP, IF YOU DON'T MIND! HURRY, OR I'M CAT FOOD!"

**FWUMP!** Sanji threw his backpack down to the ground as well before he dashed down the tree. He jumped, and began to spin, head-over-heels.

"CONCASSER!"

**BAM!** Sanji's heel connected with the tiger's skull, and very hard.

"Damn pussycat…" he cursed.

**THUD!** The tiger dropped to the ground, defeated.

Sanji soon followed suit, landing on his feet.

Usopp proudly stood up, his hands on his hips and his nose in the air.

"All right!" he declared. "Well done, Sanji! You followed my plan, exactly!"

**BANG!** What sounded like a gunshot rang out, and something landed hard before Sanji, like a bullet.

"What the hell was that?" questioned Sanji as he looked up to the tree where it came from.

It was revealed that it was herd of small buffalo-like creatures.

One jumped at Sanji, again, but it was so fast, that it was like Blizzard's Bullet Fang attack! He was lucky that he managed to evade in time, but as he did, more of the animals came barreling down at the two Straw Hats, who took cover behind the tree.

"What the hell are those things?" questioned Sanji.

"And more importantly," Usopp began, "WHEN ARE WE GONNA CATCH A BREAK?"

**RRRMMMMMBB!** The entire cliff began to shake before it crumbled apart, sending Sanji and Usopp plummeting down.

While Usopp was crying to himself "I'M GONNA DIE~!", Sanji braced himself for impact as he and the sniper hit some tree branches on the way down.

**SPLASH!** The two landed in a lake below.

At a pier, some fishing children happened to see everything, as well as few woman who were in their mid-30s or 40s.

XXX

Somewhere in the island's snowy mountains, a little girl was trudging the snow, wearing nothing but a light pink dress and nothing else to warm her. Not even a scarf around her neck or a pair of mittens. In her hands appeared to be a flower of some kind, and on her elbows was something rather bizarre: she appeared to have feathers growing out of her skin.

Suddenly, the girl heard a roar in the distance. Looking ahead, she saw a huge Tyrannosaurus-like creature with a mane of white fur around its neck, as well as on its back and tail, and a large rack of antlers on its head, fighting with a purple snake with many legs. The monster threw the serpent right toward the little girl.

**BANG!** The creature fell before the little girl, who had become so frightened by the sight, that she fainted, right then and there.

At that moment, the beast spotted her, and instantly saw her as potential prey. It began to charge at her, preparing to devour her whole, but it didn't get very close.

"Oni GIRI!"

**SLASH!** Something dashed by and slashed the monstrous dinosaur, causing it to fall to its side, dead.

It was revealed to be Roronoa Zoro.

Coming up behind him was Chopper, who was in Heavy Point, riding shotgun on a six-legged wooly mammoth.

"That was close!" said Chopper. "That thing nearly got her!"

Zoro sheathed his swords before he approached the little girl and gingerly picked her up like she was a fragile little doll.

Chopper jumped down from the mammoth, approaching the swordsman.

"Chopper, it's pretty cold," said Zoro. "Maybe you should let her use your fur for a minute."

"Good idea," Chopper agreed as he prepared to pull off his shirt. "It's pretty cold, after all." He then stopped. "Hey, wait a second!"

A few minutes later, Zoro and Chopper were now riding the wooly mammoth, again with the little girl now lying in the former's lap.

Just then, the little girl's eyes started to flutter open.

"Huh?" she muttered.

"So, finally wake, are you?"

The girl looked up to see Zoro's face.

"Oh…" she hummed.

"Hey," said Chopper. "What were you doing out here, all by yourself, in a place like this?"

"Uh…well…I was…um…"

The girl seemed hesitant to speak. At that moment, Zoro spotted the plant in her hands. He figured that it was probably a present for the girl's mother, so he shrugged it off.

"Anyway," said Zoro. "Let's get outta these mountains. My friend, here, and I have been here for a few days now, and we're sick and tired of it."

A pause came.

"You should be able to get off these mountains in a half a day," said the girl.

"Huh?" muttered Chopper, questioningly.

The girl pointed Northeast.

"That way," she said.

Zoro and Chopper looked to where she was pointing and saw that there was a green forest, as well as a river leading into a small village.

"See?" asked the girl.

The two Straw Hats knitted their brows and gritted their teeth. All this time, they had been walking around in a big circle, mainly because Zoro was leading the way.

"Zoro?" Chopper called, questioningly. "Are you sure we were going to the right way?"

"Don't start with me, Chopper," Zoro growled.

The mammoth began to move forward, headed down the mountains and toward the river.

"My village is just beyond that river," said the little girl. "By the way, thank you very much for saving my life! I'm Xiao! What's your name?"

"I'm Roronoa Zoro," said Zoro. "But you can just call me Zoro."

"And I'm Tony Tony Chopper," said Chopper. "It's nice to meet you."

Xiao let out a gasp.

"The gorilla…he spoke…!" she whispered.

"I'm not a gorilla! I'm a reindeer! No-no! Don't faint, again!"

XXX

Sanji squinted his already closed eyes before they began to open. As he began to sit up, he noticed that Usopp was beside him, still unconscious. He took a look at his surroundings and saw that they were sitting in a boat. Plus, they appeared to be at a village. Women and children were seen carrying pots full of water and baskets of rice and such, playing games, or just having idle chit-chat.

At that moment, Usopp began to come around and sat up as well, holding his head. It was then that he also noticed the village and its inhabitants.

"So this island has a village, after all?" he asked as he took a look around. He soon spotted something rather strange…

All of the villagers had what appeared to be white feathers growing out of their arms.

"Usopp," said Sanji. "You noticed it, too, didn't you?"

"Huh?" Usopp muttered. "Oh! Yeah…I-I did."

"This village," Sanji started, "doesn't have any young maidens."

"THAT'S ALL YOU'VE NOTICED?" Usopp snapped.

"Oh! You're awake!"

The two men looked up and saw a woman in her early 50s approaching with two cups of hot tea.

"It's good to see that you young men are doing all right," she said. "You gave us a quite a surprise, you know! Fell right from the sky, you did! Ho-ho! Here. Have a nice hot cup of tea."

The two men gratefully took the cups.

"Thank you very much, madam," said Sanji.

"Oh, no, no!" laughed the woman. "There's no need to be formal! Call me Lin."

"Uh, pardon me for asking this," said Sanji, "but what are those…feathers on your arm?"

"What, these?" Lin asked as she held her arm up. "Oh, I don't know. For some odd reason, everyone in our village is born with them!"

"I see," said Sanji. "Say, is there any food around here? Everyone looks rather skinny."

Lin gasped silently, looked down at her arm, and then put it away.

"Well, that's because all the men and young women in the village had been sent away to the royal palace," said Lin. "Since the other women are too old and the children are too young, we only try to manage as best we can."

"Man," said Usopp. "That's sounds like a pretty hard life."

"Well, we really don't have a choice in the matter," Lin said. "If any of us dared to oppose Shiki, it'd be the end of us all!"

"SHIKI?" the two Straw Hats shouted.

"Yes," Lin answered. "He has complete control over the village. What's worse…" She suddenly trailed off before she looked to her right. "Oh, no," she murmured before she pushed Sanji and Usopp back down into the boat. "Quick! Get down! Both of you!"

"Hey! What gives?" Usopp growled.

"Shh…!" Lin shushed.

Usopp and Sanji peered over the boat and saw what looked like a Transponder Snail the size of an adult man. The Transponder Snail seemed to be moving on its own, approaching two young children and an old woman, who only cringed and tried to inch away, feeling rather disturbed.

"What the hell?" Usopp whispered. "What is that?"

"It's Shiki's self-propelled Transponder Snail camera," answered Lin. "Anything it sees is sent back to the royal palace. We can't have a moments privacy, and if any one of us shows signs of starting a rebellion, then he or she is immediately killed as a warning to the rest of us…regardless if that person is a child."

Usopp and Sanji looked at Lin with disbelief.

To think that some pirates would stoop so low just to have power…and Shiki was probably the lowest of all.

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><p>Read and review, please!<p> 


	7. Ch 6 Daft

**Ch. 6- Daft**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>Back with Zoro, Chopper, and Xiao, they had just made it to the river, but then, the mammoth stopped in its tracks. All of a sudden, it reared up on its hind legs, throwing the trio off its back before it turned tail and stamped off, headed back for the mountains.<p>

"What the hell is it's problem?" growled Zoro, questioningly.

"It's the scent," answered Chopper, who had his hooves covering his little blue nose and a strained look on his face. "I don't like this smell, very much. It feels like my nose is getting shocked from the inside! I think I'm gonna be sick!"

"You must be smelling the Daft Green tree," said Xiao.

"The what?" Zoro asked.

"The Daft Green tree," Xiao repeated. "It's a plant that keeps the animals out of our village. The reason why is because it smells bad."

"You got that right," agreed Chopper.

"If you don't like it," said Zoro, "then get some tissue or something and plug your nose." He stood up and walked off. "Now, c'mon."

Xiao and a reluctant Chopper followed behind.

A moment later, after Chopper had gotten his nostrils plugged up with tissue, the three reached a large, greenish-white tree.

"Is this it?" Zoro asked to Xiao.

"Yep," Xiao answered.

"I can still smell it, a little," said Chopper, "even with my nose plugged up like this."

Zoro took a bit of a whiff, himself.

"Now that you mention it," he said, "it sure stinks."

"NOW YOU NOTICE?" Chopper barked.

"One more thing," said Xiao. "Don't breathe in too much. It's poisonous."

"NOW YOU TELL ME!" Zoro snapped.

XXX

Zoro and Chopper entered Xiao's village and had just brought her home to her mother.

However…

**WHAP!**

Chopper cringed as he heard the sound of a palm smacking against a cheek.

Xiao held her now tender cheek as she looked up to a woman in her mid-30s…her mother.

"How many must I tell you, Xiao?" she questioned, angrily, although the anger was really used to hide her worry. "Never leave the village, alone! Ever!"

"Bu…but, Momma," stammered Xiao as small tears began to form in her eyes. "I…I was only trying…to help Grandma. See?" She held up the flower for her mother to see.

Upon seeing it, her mother gasped silently before she let out a sigh, guilt now overcoming anger and fear.

"Xiao…" came an older woman's voice.

Xiao looked behind her mother and saw a woman in her late 60s, struggling to sit up. This was Xiao's grandmother.

"Xiao, sweetheart," she said, weakly. "There's no need for you to risk your life for me."

Chopper suddenly noticed something odd. The old woman had green blotches on various parts of her skin.

"B…but, Grandma…!" Xiao said. "If you stay that way…then you'll…then you'll…!" She couldn't finish, for she soon broke down into sobs.

Xiao's mother approached her and pulled her into her arms.

"There, there, Xiao," she said, soothingly. "Don't cry. I understand. I'm not mad at you anymore." She turned to Zoro and Chopper. "Thank you both, so much, for bringing my daughter home, safe and sound. You have no idea how worried I was. I don't know how I could ever repay you."

"It's no big deal," said Zoro, nonchalantly. "We actually into her, ourselves."

"Yeah," agreed Chopper, "and she helped us out of a real jam, too! But more importantly, what's wrong with her grandmother?"

"It's a serious illness known as 'Daft'," explained Xiao's mother. "Any part of the body with those green spots on them will eventually stiffen until the victim is completely rendered paralyzed. It's the result of breathing too much of the Daft Green's pollen. The only way to cure it is extracting medicine from a plant known as 'IQ'."

"IQ…?" Chopper repeated. "You mean that flower that Xiao has."

"Yes," answered Xiao's mother. "Unfortunately, we need more than one."

"So that's why Xiao went into the mountains alone," realized Chopper. "Poor thing."

"I'm sorry, Momma," Xiao said as she buried her face into her mother's shoulder.

"Xiao, I already told you," said her mother. "It's all right. None of this is your fault. The real one behind all this Shiki. He's the one who has nearly all the IQ on the island!"

"Shiki?" Chopper repeated, questioningly.

"Did you say Shiki?" asked Zoro.

"Yes," answered Xiao's mother. "You see, 20 years ago, the humans, animals, and insects coexisted in perfect harmony…until Shiki came…and ruined everything for us."

"I just wish that he'd leave," said Xiao, tearfully. "I want him to go away, Momma…to the Sea of Stratagems."

Zoro and Chopper watched the mother and child, but then decided to just leave them be.

They headed outside, into the village.

"Hey, Chopper," said Zoro. "Can't you help her grandma?"

"No," answered. "I've never seen an illness like this. My medical techniques could make it worse."

"I see," Zoro acknowledged before he let out a sigh. "Well, at least we're safe from those crazy animals because of those trees."

"You're right," said Chopper as he unplugged his nose. "I can still smell the Daft Green, a little bit, but it's not as bad here than it was out there, so I'll be okay. Still…I can't help but worry about the others. I sure hope they're okay."

"Me, too," said Zoro before he approached some stairs and sat on the top step. "We'll start searching for them again after we've had us a quick rest."

Chopper nodded in agreement before he sat down, as well, his tongue lulling out of his mouth.

"I'm so exhausted," he said.

XXX

Sanji and Usopp were walking up some stairs, and needless to say, they were very tired. Ever since they got here, they couldn't get even a moment's rest because of all the animals that had been chasing them.

As Sanji sat on the bottom step of some stairs, Usopp let out a gasp.

Sanji looked up at the top step and saw Zoro. Usually, these two would start fighting the moment they laid their eyes on each other, but they just too tired, and instead just shrugged each other off.

"Oh, it's just you," they said in unison.

At that moment, Chopper noticed them. He gasped before he happily before he giddily hopped down the steps.

"Sanji! Usopp!" he cried as he jumped into Usopp's arms. "You're okay!"

"I-it's good to see you, too, Chopper!" said Usopp.

XXX

At Xiao's house, Xiao was outside to the back, a bowl of water in one hand and a bowl of white rice with bits of meat in the other.

"I bet Poochie is hungry," she said.

As she rounded the corner, she gasped and dropped the bowls, spilling the contents.

There was just an empty spot there.

Where was the white dog that was here?

"Momma!" Xiao called as she ran back into the house. "Poochie! He's gone!"

"What?"

Xiao and her mother came back outside.

"See?" asked Xiao.

"Well, that's odd," said her mother. "Where could he have gone?"

"He was here when I left," Xiao said. "You don't think he got worried and went into the forest to look for me, do you, Momma? That's how he ended up here in the first place, and he's still pretty hurt!"

"Calm down, Xiao," said her mother, trying to reassure her. "Poochie's probably realized that you're back home and he's probably on his way back here."

XXX

Far away from the village, on a part of the island where Luffy was lost, a familiar four-legged figure was walking through the forest.

It was Blizzard. For some reason, he had bandages on him, here and there, but he didn't seem to pay them any mind, at all.

He was really worried about something else.

_Where are you, Luffy?_ he thought.

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><p>Yay! Blizzard appears, again!<p>

Read and review, please!


	8. Ch 7 Nami Escapes

**Ch. 7- Nami Escapes**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

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><p>Back at the botanical house, Nami was looking outside the glass pane, watching the snowfall, before she turned away and began to approach the pool. She picked up her backpack and hoisted it over her shoulder. Then, she gently scratched her avian friend's chin.<p>

"Let's go," she said.

The bird followed her without hesitation, into the pool.

The self-propelled Transponder Snail was nearby, but was currently snacking on a pile of leaves.

Nami dove underwater, followed by the bird.

…they didn't resurface.

XXX

Somewhere below the palace, dozens of ships had docked at what appeared to be a cave.

All the ships had Jolly Rogers on them.

They were all pirate ships.

At least hundreds of thousands of pirates were gathering into the cave. Above the entrance, there was a sign that read "Melville".

This cave was actually a tunnel that led into Shiki's secret base.

Inside said base, Shiki and his underlings were watching the pirates gathering via the screens.

"It appears that all the pirate captains have gathered at the port," said one of the staff.

"Good," said Shiki. "We make our move after the meeting, then."

"So, tonight's the night, then, Lord Shiki?"

"Yes," Shiki answered before he turned away. "Return the men to the village."

"Are you sure, sir?"

"Yes. After all, I promised them. However, I only want you to return one. It's only natural to give hope before despair."

He turned back to the man with a rather sick, malevolent grin upon his face.

"Having the expression of someone fall from a high place is exceptional, isn't it?" he asked before he let out a menacing laugh.

**PFFT! PFFFT! PFFFT!** The sound of Dr. Indigo's footsteps were heard. As he appeared, he began to spin around in circles, wave his arms, and clap his hands.

"What the hell are you trying to say, now?" Shiki questioned.

"My lord, Shiki!" said Dr. Indigo.

"YOU CAN TALK?" everyone in the room cried.

"Troubling news!" Dr. Indigo declared. "The girl and the bird have flown the coop!"

"What?" Shiki snarled.

"It appears she found out that the pool leads directly into the sea!"

"Damn it…that girl is a crafty one, I'll tell you that much, but she has a rare talent. We can't let her escape from us! Inform all networks! Find her, at once!"

"Yes, sir!"

XXX

Nami was riding through the water on top of the bird's back, holding her breath in for as long as she could.

**SPLOOSH!** The two burst through the water, allowing Nami to get a gasp of air.

In spite of this, they weren't out of the words just yet.

The bird began to plummet down towards a huge pool of water below, and landed with a large **SPLASH!**

Once they were underwater, Nami was forced to hold in her breath again.

However, they were soon surrounded by four more larger animals.

A giant centipede, a huge moray eel, a humungous snapping turtle, and a giant slug with fangs.

The gigantic creatures moved in, prepared to devour them both. Nami was far too frightened to do anything, and could only look in horror.

Suddenly…

**KRRRRZZZZZZZZT! ZAP!** A huge wave of static electricity emitted from the bird's body, shocking the beasts to a crisp.

One-by-one, the creatures surfaced, motionless. The bird came out of the water, perched itself on the eel's body, and let out a squawk of victory, but then, he realized something…

Where was Nami?

Looking around, he saw the girl's motionless form surfacing from underwater. He let out a gasp before he frantically flapped over, picked her up by his talon, and pulled her to the shore. He paced back and forth, frantically, wondering what he could to help her.

By this time, he realized that Nami probably just swallowed a bit of water.

Gently pressing his beak against her chest, the bird sent tiny volts of electricity, pressing against her heart to get it flowing.

**HACK! KOFF! KOFF!** Nami sat up and began to cough up the water that was trapped in her lungs. She looked up to the bird and smiled, weakly, gently petting his bill.

"Thanks," she said. "You saved my life."

The bird smiled at her, as if to say, "No problem!"

"Anyway," said Nami as she stood up. "Where do you think we are?"

The bird picked Nami up by his talons, again, and flew up, carrying her to the ridge. There, Nami got a good look at her surroundings.

They were surrounded by a vast forest, but that wasn't the only thing she saw.

There, sitting in the clearing, was the _Thousand Sunny_, still in one piece!

"_Sunny_!" Nami exclaimed as she ran down. "Finally, I can take a nice bath and change into some dry clothes!"

**KABOOM!**

Nami froze in her tracks when she heard what sounded like an explosion.

It was revealed to be Luffy, now running out of the forest. He braked to a halt once he spotted the ship.

"The _Sunny_!" he exclaimed.

Nami gasped silently when she saw her captain, but then smiled, joyfully.

"Luffy!" she called, happily.

Luffy looked up upon hearing his navigator's voice. He turned to face before he smiled as well.

"Nami!" he cried as he ran to her. "It's you!"

However, as Luffy ran, three gigantic scorpions came, giving chase not long after. They weren't the only ones, though. Behind the last of them came a what appeared to be a cross between a bulldog and a morbidly obese lion.

Nami gasped, her joy suddenly turning into fear.

How could this idiot forget to take care of those beasts beforehand?

"I'm glad to see you're okay!" yelled Luffy. "How'd you get away from the old guy?"

Nami didn't answer him. Instead, she just turned tail and ran back up the way she came.

"DON'T COME THIS WAY!" she cried.

Luffy continued to follow after Nami, oblivious to the monsters that were still chasing after him.

However, the bird saw them, and he was prepared to protect Nami no matter what. He soared over Luffy and Nami and let out a huge burst of electricity. The two pirates braked to a halt and turned back.

The bird was no standing over the defeated animals, squawking victoriously.

"SO AWESOME~!" Luffy cried as his eyes twinkled.

Nami could only heave a sigh, but then she smiled and cleared her throat, getting Luffy's attention.

Luffy chuckled a bit as he scratched at the back of his head.

"Are you okay?" they asked each other. "Yeah, I'm fine," they answered each other, and then laughed.

A short pause came…before they went and embraced each other.

Nami's skin felt rather wet and a bit cold, but Luffy didn't care. He was just glad that his navigator was safe and sound.

"I'm so happy you're all right," Luffy said, a blush on his cheeks.

"Same, here," said Nami, nuzzling her cheek against her captain's chest.

**RUMBLE!** In spite of the rather intimate moment, Luffy's stomach just had to let him know that he was hungry, again. All Luffy could do was pull away from Nami and chuckle, sheepishly.

"My bad," he said. "It's been a while since I ate."

(A/N: When? An hour ago?)

Nami smiled and chuckled a bit herself.

She really missed her goofy, smiley-faced, always-hungry, idiot captain.

* * *

><p>Read and review, please!<p> 


	9. Ch 8 Attack of the Yonubi

**Ch. 8- Attack of the Yonubi**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard and the Yonubi © Me

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><p>Quick author's note: This chapter introduces the Yonubi, a fan creature I made up for the story. It's based off the nine-tailed fox of Japanese folklore, only it has four tails instead of nine.<p>

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>About 10 minutes later, Luffy was digging in to some roasted scorpion, accompanied by the bird. Nami, however, wasn't really all that hungry. She was too busy drying her wet clothes and changing into some new ones. Her hair was done up in pigtails and her new outfit seemed rather revealing.<p>

"So, Luffy," Nami called as she turned to him. "How do I look?"

Luffy turned to face Nami, but nearly choked on the scorpion meat he was eating. The colors on Nami's shirt seemed to bring out her hair even more, and that's why he almost choked.

She looked drop-dead gorgeous.

"Uh…I…err…" Luffy mumbled, trying to get out the words that were now trapped in his throat.

"Aww…" Nami cooed. "You're at a loss for words."

She sat down on in between Luffy and the bird, warming herself up in front of the bonfire.

"So where are the others?" she asked Luffy.

"I dunno," Luffy answered as he took another bite of his scorpion meat. "This place is so huge. I haven't run into anybody, yet. Anyway, let's have lunch! This scorpion meat is outta this world! Right, Billy?"

The bird let out a squawk in agreement.

"No thanks, Luffy," Nami said. "I'm not all that…wait…who's Billy?"

"The bird," answered Luffy. "I gave him the name because his feather's tickle."

Luffy pulled on the newly christened Billy's cheek.

**KRRZZZZT!** Billy gave Luffy a small shock, but due to his rubber skin, it didn't bother him.

"Oh, yeah," Nami said in realization. "You're immune to electricity."

Luffy handed Nami a scorpion leg.

"Here, have some," said Luffy.

"Luffy, I said I'm not really…" Nami was about to argue that she didn't want any, but how could she say to that sweet face of Luffy's? Heaving a sigh of defeat, Nami tore off a piece of meat and started to eat it.

"Anyway," Nami started, "since we found the _Sunny_, what should we do, now? Should we wait for the others or should we go find them, ourselves?"

"Let's go find them," said Luffy, "but wait till I finish lunch, first."

"Sure," Nami said.

**Grrrrrrr…!** A low growl suddenly sounded off, causing Luffy, Nami, and Billy to go alert.

"What was that?" Nami asked, clutching Luffy's arm.

"That's not my tummy, if that's what you're thinking," said Luffy.

Billy backed away, rather fearfully, shaking in his feathers.

At that moment, Luffy spotted a large, shadowy figure behind the trees. It was much too big to be Blizzard, that much he was sure of, but it had the large frame of a canine.

The creature stepped out of the shadows, revealing itself to be a giant, 8-foot-tall fox, four lashing tails that were at least 15 feet long, and glowing red eyes.

Nami gasped, her grip on Luffy's arm tightening, while Luffy just stared back at the beast with glaring eyes. This creature was obviously frightening his navigator, and needless to say, he was none too thrilled about it.

The fox growled, a mouth full of fangs exposed, jaws dripping with drool. It licked its chops hungrily, not at the Straw Hats, not at Billy, but the roasted scorpion that Luffy was feasting on. Luffy, however, seemed to notice this.

Normally, the Straw Hat captain wouldn't give up his meal without a fight, but seeing as how Nami was here, he couldn't risk her safety. Slowly standing up and gesturing Nami to do the same, Luffy began to lead his navigator away.

"It just wants the scorpion," he told her. "Let's just give it what it wants, get on the ship, and wait for it to go away."

Nami nodded. For someone who usually thinks with his stomach, what Luffy said made a lot of sense.

As the two turned to leave, the fox prepared to eat some of the scorpion meat that was left behind. Just then, an unfamiliar scent came to its nose.

It was the sweet scent of tangerines.

It looked up, tracing the source of the smell to Nami. It licked its chops hungrily, again.

It preferred its food to be alive, anyway.

The fox charged, prepared to pounce on Nami. However, at the last second, Luffy spotted it, and pushed Nami down to the ground.

"LOOK OUT!" he cried.

The fox ended up jumping over the two, but it wasn't prepared to give up, just yet. The beast charged, again, but Luffy was already one step ahead of it.

"Grab on to me, Nami!" Luffy demanded.

Nami nodded her head and grabbed onto Luffy, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

**WROING!** Luffy stretched his arms and grabbed onto the _Sunny's_ railing.

"Gum Gum…ROCKET!"

**WOOSH!** Luffy propelled himself and Nami onboard the ship, just as the fox lunged at them again.

That did it. Luffy had had just about enough. No one, absolutely NO ONE, dared to attempt harm on his navigator, like that and get away with it.

Now it was personal.

"You stay here," Luffy told Nami. "I've got a bone to pick with him."

"Luffy, wait!" Nami said, trying to stop her captain.

"Billy!" Luffy called to the bird. "You stay here and watch Nami for me!"

Billy quacked and raised his wing in a salute, showing that he understood.

With that, Luffy jumped off the ship, preparing to face off with the monstrous fox.

Nami and Billy could only watch.

"Hey!" Luffy called. "Over here, you fleabag!"

The fox turned to Luffy, growling.

"You'd make a pretty good scarf for a stuffy old lady!" shouted Luffy, mockingly.

The fox growled, angrily before it charged at Luffy, who smirked as he stretched out his leg.

"Gum Gum…WHIP!" he cried.

**BAM!** Luffy's foot hit the fox right in the jaw and sent it flying to the side. The beast stood up, shaking its head to relieve itself of disorientation, before it charged at Luffy, again. This time, Luffy jumped over it, high into the air.

"Gum Gum…STAMP!" he cried as he stretched his foot down.

**POW!** The sole of Luffy's foot stamped itself into the fox's skull.

He wasn't done there. Luffy stretched his arms out, once again, grabbing the fox's ears.

"And a Gum-Gum…MISSILE!"

**BANG!** Luffy plummeted toward the fox, bashing his skull into its back and creating a huge cloud of dust.

Nami and Billy gasp silently, watching with anticipation.

As the dust cleared, it revealed Luffy, standing on top of the seemingly defeated fox, laughing triumphantly.

"I won!" he declared.

Nami heaved a sigh of relief. She had to remind herself that Luffy wouldn't go down, so easily.

As Luffy stepped off of the fox's body, he didn't notice that one of its eyes were opening.

Nami, on the hand, did notice.

"LUFFY, BEHIND YOU!" she shouted.

The moment Luffy turned around, he was quickly caught off-guard and was blindsided by the fox's four tails. The rubber-man was sent rolling to the side and crashed into a nearby tree.

"Luffy!" Nami cried. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," he answered her. "I'm made of rubber, after-"

Luffy couldn't finish his sentence, for he suddenly got the wind knocked out of him when the fox stamped one of its front paws into his chest, pinning him against the tree. The beast licked its chops, hungrily, a waterfall of saliva cascading from its maw. It was no longer interested in eating Nami. The scent of meat that Luffy gave off made him even more appetizing.

Just as the fox prepared to bite down on Luffy's skull…

_**AAROOOOOOOOOO~!**_ A long howl sounded off, getting the fox's attention.

**KAPOW!** A white blur jumped out of nowhere and hit the fox in the jaw, sending it flying across the clearing and causing its to become stuck in a hollow tree.

Luffy, who was just sitting up to catch his breath, he saw that it was Blizzard, come to the rescue!

"Blizzard!" Luffy cried as he got and ran to hug his dog, who wagged his tail and whimpered happily. "I'm so glad you're okay, buddy."

Blizzard licked Luffy's face, making him chuckle. However, he knew that now wasn't the time to enjoy a reunion. There was still that fox to deal with, after all.

As the fox struggled to get its head free, Luffy suddenly had an idea.

"Hey, buddy," Luffy called to Blizzard. "You wanna have some fun?"

**RUFF!** Blizzard barked, as if to say, "Hell, yeah!"

By this time, the fox finally managed to free its head from the tree. The moment it did, a short whistle reached its ears.

"Hey, Foxy!" Luffy called. "Over here! Kiss my rubber ass!"

**SMACK! SMACK!** Luffy turned to the fox and slapped his butt.

Now he had done it. The fox was now completely infuriated by Luffy's teasing gesture and charged like a bat out of hell.

Luffy turned to face the fox, a sly grin on his face, before he stretched his arms back.

"Gum…Gum…" he started.

Behind Luffy, Blizzard was poised to attack just as Luffy grabbed the wolf-dog by the scruff of his neck.

"WHITE ARROW!" shouted Luffy.

**WOOSH!** Luffy threw Blizzard over himself, straight at the fox, like knocking an arrow from the bow. Blizzard spun like a top, executing his Twister Fang attack.

By the time the fox realized that he had fallen right into their trap, it was too late. Blizzard made impact, right into its white underbelly, sending it crashing into the trees behind it.

There was a pause. Luffy, Blizzard, Nami, and Billy watched, anticipating the outcome.

Suddenly, the fox jumped up and ran off, yowling in defeat.

Winners: Luffy and Blizzard.

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered. "We did it! YAHOO~!"

_**ARROOOOOOO~!**_ Blizzard let out a victorious howl, and Luffy joined not long after.

"Good job, boys!" Nami praised as she and Billy hopped off the ship. "You really showed that fox what for!"

"Yeah!" Luffy agreed, his hands on his hips. "No one messes with the Straw Hat Pirates. Right, Blizzard?"

**ARF!** Blizzard barked in agreement.

Luffy reached into his pocket and held out a cookie, but not just any cookie: a peanut butter cookie.

"Here you go, Blizzard," said Luffy. "I saved it just for you."

Blizzard gratefully took the treat, munching and chomping on it before swallowing and licking his lips to sweep up any remaining crumbs.

"Okay," said Nami. "Now that that's taken care of, we should probably before that fox decides to come back…with friends."

Billy nodded his head.

"Right," Luffy said. "But before we go…fighting that fox made me hungry, again. Can I just finish the scorpion, first?"

"No, Luffy, you idiot!" Nami snapped. "We're leaving!"

"But-"

"NOW!"

"Okay! We'll go! Man, you're scary."

And so, after putting out the bonfire and surveying the area for any animals that may come out to ambush them, Luffy, Nami, and Blizzard hitched a ride on Billy and took flight, headed off to find the rest of the crew.

* * *

><p>Read and review, please!<p> 


	10. Ch 9 Shiki's Plan

**Ch. 9- Shiki's Plan**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, somewhere in a desert-like part of the island, Franky, Robin, and Brook were riding through the landscape atop a crayfish-like motorcycle.<p>

"I must say, Mister Franky," said Brook. "This crayfish-cycle is absolutely!"

"Ow!" Franky shouted. "You got that right, Bones! It's my SUPER custom design! Zarley Davidson!"

"Right!" Brook said before he started to sing.

"**Zarley Davidson!**

**Zarley Davidson!**

**La-la-la, la-la-la-la!"**

Just then, the three Straw Hats spotted something in the distance. It looked a traditional Japanese building of some sort.

"What's that?" asked Brook.

"Maybe there's a town up ahead," said Franky.

"Perhaps," added Robin.

**VREEEEEN!** The Zarley Davidson began to screech to a halt on its own accord before it jumped back, nearly causing its cargo to fall.

"I think I bit my tongue," said Brook. "Oh, wait. I have no tongue. Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho!"

**KONK!** Franky bopped Zarley Davidson on the head.

"You're only supposed to stop when I say so!" he barked.

"It looks like it doesn't wanna move, Franky," said Robin.

Franky heaved a sigh in frustration.

"Damn it," the shipwright cursed. "Looks like we're walking."

Up ahead, it is revealed that there were some more Daft Green trees. The trio didn't realize that they were the reason why Zarley Davidson stopped.

Regardless, the trio of pirates walked ahead, ignoring the rather pungent smell.

XXX

Back with Luffy, Nami, Blizzard, and Billy, were flying over the forest. While Luffy and Nami were riding on top of Billy's back, Blizzard was being carried by the scruff of his neck via the bird's talons since there was no more room.

Needless to say, he was less than happy about it.

Right now, Luffy was telling Nami how he had fought off a giant salamander a couple of nights back.

"What'd you do it once it was knocked out?"

"Let's just say that I make a mean Salamander Stew."

Nami couldn't help but a laugh a little.

As Billy flew a bit further, a rather fowl smell came to his nose, and he immediately twisted his face in disgust. Blizzard also grimaced before he put his paws over his nose, obviously not liking the smell, either.

_Smells like Luffy's gas after he eats clams!_ he thought.

Billy suddenly started to fly around in a rather frantic manner, startling Luffy and Nami.

"Whoa!" Nami cried.

"Billy!" Luffy called. "What the hell's gotten into you?"

Billy flew up to a floating islet in the air, making Nami scream in fright while Luffy just laughed.

The moment they landed, Nami soon spotted the village down by the lake. That wasn't the only thing she saw, however. Surrounding the village was a circle of Daft Green trees.

No wonder Billy and Blizzard acted the way they did.

"I see a village down there," said Nami to Luffy. "I've also seen those trees around Shiki's palace. They're called 'Daft Green'. The animals don't like the smell, so they stay away from it."

"So that's it, huh?" Luffy questioned to Billy and Blizzard, who heaved a sigh.

XXX

Another moment later, Blizzard and Billy had gotten their nostrils plugged up with tissue. They could still smell the Daft Green's scent, but at the very least, they could be able to stand.

"Any place where there's Daft Green is a safe place to be," explained Nami.

"Then I bet that the others are here, too!" said Luffy.

XXX

"NAMI, MY DARLING!"

The moment that Luffy and Nami had entered the village, they were soon greeted by Sanji, who was now swooning and dancing, lovingly.

"I'm so happy that you're safe and sound!" he declared. "I was so worried about you that I haven't slept in days!"

**FWUMP!** Sanji fell back, snoring.

"He wasn't kidding when he said he hasn't slept in days," commented Usopp.

Sanji suddenly sat up, gasping.

"Wait!" he cried. "We haven't found Robin, yet!"

"Will you just shut the hell up?" barked Zoro.

Sanji angrily turned to Zoro.

"You wanna go, Moss-head?"

"HELL, YEAH, I WANNA GO!"

"THEN LET'S GO!"

Luffy snickered.

"I'm just glad to see that you're all okay," he said.

Just then, they heard the sound of a door open. They looked back and the see Xiao, exiting her house. However, the sight of seeing some new faces surprised her.

"There are even more people now!" she said before she looked ready to faint, but her mother caught her from behind.

"Well, well," said Xiao's mother. "Looks like we've gathered quite a crowd!"

"Hi," Nami greeted. "I'm Nami."

"I'm Luffy," Luffy greeted. "Monkey D. Luffy." He turned to Blizzard. "And this is-"

"Poochie!"

Xiao had snapped out of her short coma and ran up to Blizzard, throwing her arms around his neck.

"You came back!" said Xiao. "I'm so happy that you're okay!"

"Oh," said Luffy. "Looks like you know Blizzard, already."

Xiao's smile suddenly dropped when she heard Blizzard's real name, and the turned to face Luffy.

"You mean…Poochie is _your_ dog?" she asked.

"Yes, he is," Luffy answered. "And his name's not 'Poochie', it's Blizzard." He started to whistle and pat his knees. "C'mere, Blizzard! C'mon, buddy! C'mon! Come!"

Blizzard pulled away from Xiao and jumped up at Luffy, licking his face and making him laugh.

"Good boy!" praised Luffy.

Xiao's face seemed to droop in disappointment. She thought that if Blizzard didn't actually belong to anybody and if her mother approved, then she could keep him.

Luffy seemed to notice the girl's discontent as he turned to her, smiling sweetly.

"Hey, it's okay," he said. "Blizzard seems to like you, so any friend of his is a friend of mine."

That seemed to make Xiao feel a bit better, for she smiled softly.

"You know, I've been wondering," said Luffy. "Were you the one who put these bandages on my dog?"

"Yeah," Xiao said. "My Momma and I found him a few days ago, outside the village."

"Your dog was in pretty bad shape," Xiao's mother said. "When we found him, it looked like he got into a nasty scrape with the animals in the forest nearby."

"Well, thanks very much for taking of Blizzard for me," Luffy said, gratefully.

Xiao and her mother smiled.

"It's no trouble, at all," said Xiao's mother. "Please, come in! You look very tired. Xiao, sweetheart, why don't you go get our guests some tea?"

"Yes, Momma!" Xiao said before she headed back inside.

"Nami, you should go inside and rest," said Luffy.

"Luffy, I assure you, I'm fine-" Nami began, but was soon cut off by Luffy.

"Captain's orders," he said.

Nami, heaving yet another sigh of defeat, entered the house.

Little did they know that she was being watched.

XXX

At Shiki's base, it appeared that one of Shiki's men was looking at Nami through the self-propelled Transponder Snail's eye.

"It looks like we found her, Lord Shiki," said the pirate.

"Excellent," said Shiki. "I think I'll go down and pay that village a visit, and welcome our new navigator while I'm at it."

With that, Shiki turned to leave, his menacing laugh resounding as he did.

XXX

Back with Robin, Franky, and Brook, it was revealed that they had arrived at some sort of bar. There, they saw that the whole place was practically flooded with drinking, eating, chattering pirates…but not one sign of Luffy and the others.

"Looks like they're not here," said Franky, whose hair was now standing up due to refueling on cola.

**URP!** Brook let out a belch after he drank some of his tea.

"They all have Eternal Poses," said Robin, "so I guess someone must've called them, here."

Just then, a girl in her late-teens appeared, walking by, carrying a tray, but Brook soon got in her way.

"Pardon me, miss," Brook began, "but do you mind if I had a peek at your panties?"

**WHOMP!** The girl brought her heal down on the skeleton's precious afro.

Robin noticed something rather bizarre about the girl: she had what appeared to be white feathers growing out of her arms.

"Excuse me, young lady," said Robin, "but are those…feathers on your arms?"

"Huh?" the girl muttered before she looked to her arm. "Oh, these? Yeah, they are. For some reason, everyone in my village was born with them. I don't really know the reason why, but I think it's because we meant to fly."

"Meant to fly?" Franky repeated, questioningly. "You sure about that?"

"Well, I don't think there's any other reason," said the girl.

"Hey! Waitress!"

"Uh-oh," the girl murmured. "I-I gotta go. See ya."

With that, the girl left to tend to another table. As she did, she stepped on Brook's spine. He was very lucky that she hadn't broken it.

"Hey…aren't you guys a part of the Straw Hat Pirates?" came a slurred, drunken voice.

Franky and Robin looked over and saw one of the pirate captains, drinking a bottle of grog.

"Well, are you?" the drunken pirate questioned.

"Yeah, we are," Franky answered, bluntly. "What's it to ya?"

"So," said the pirate captain, "have you guys come to join Shiki, too?"

"What?" Franky questioned. "Why the hell would-"

Robin suddenly cuts him off.

"Yes," she answered for the cyborg. "That's it, exactly."

"What are you doing, Nico Robin?" Franky whispered.

"Just play along," Robin whispered back. "We could use this as a chance to get information on what Shiki's up to." She turned to the drunken pirate. "So, tell me, good sir. Why has Lord Shiki gathered so many pirates?"

"What? You don't know? It's all-**HIC!** It's all over the news! Don't you read the paper? Here. See for yourself."

The pirate pulled out a newspaper.

Franky lifted up his glass.

"Hey, that's…!" he started.

At that moment, Brook started to come to and looked up at the paper.

XXX

Back at Xiao's village, there was a gathering of some kind. Everyone was chattering and mumbling things about whatever it was that was going on.

Xiao pulled herself out of the crowd and rushed home, a joyful smile upon her face.

In Xiao's front yard, Luffy and the gang were taking a bit of a nap. They were exhausted from running away from all those animals, so now, they just wanted to rest for as long as they could.

"Momma! Grandma!" called Xiao as she entered the house. "You won't believe this!"

Zoro opened his eye, slightly, upon hearing her voice.

He didn't know why, but he couldn't shake this odd feeling in the pit of his stomach that something bad was about to happen.

XXX

Inside Xiao's house, her mother had just heard the news.

Apparently, one of their neighbors had returned home from the royal palace.

"Are you serious, Xiao?" asked Xiao's mother.

"Yeah!" answered Xiao. "Shuu's Poppa came home, today! He said that everyone else is coming home, too! That means we'll see Poppa and Big Sis, again!"

Nearby, Nami was sitting against the wall, wrapped up in a blanket, listening in on every word.

"Am I dreaming?" asked Xiao's grandmother.

"If the men and the young women are coming home," Xiao's mother thought aloud, "then that means…!"

"Yeah!" Xiao exclaimed. "Shiki's finally leaving, and he's taking the monsters with him to the Sea of Stratagems: the East Blue!"

Nami gasped silently and her eyes went wide.

She had just remembered the picture in the front page of the newspaper.

Shiki's words began to repeat themselves in her mind.

"_I get it, now. You guys are from the East Blue, aren't you?"_

"_Oh, you'll find out, soon enough, Baby Girl…"_

"_Sooner or later, you'll be begging me to be your captain. After all, there's always something you'd want from your captain, isn't there? JIHAHAHAHAHA~!"_

"Oh, no…!" Nami muttered, under her breath.

Xiao's grandmother was weeping with joy, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"It must be a dream come true," said the sickly old woman. "I never thought I'd live to see this day!"

Nami looked down at the bracelet that her sister had given her. If Shiki was headed there to attack the East Blue…then Nojiko was one of the many people who were in grave danger.

_Nojiko…_ Nami thought before she let out a gasp.

An odd chill went down her spine, and for some odd reason, she had a rather sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was about to happen to the boys outside.

"Luffy…!" she muttered before she stood up and prepared to exit the house.

XXX

Back at the bar…

"That's right," said the drunk pirate captain. "That attack you saw on the newspaper was Shiki's warning to the World Government!"

Robin's eyes went wide.

"You mean…Lord Shiki is planning to…!" she started.

"That's right! He's gonna destroy the entire East Blue and turn the whole world topsy-turvy! Ha-ha-ha-ha! After tonight's meeting, Shiki's gonna let all those wild animals loose on the East Blue and watch as they destroy everything in their path!"

"But…that's just SUPER cruel," said Franky. "Thousands of innocent lives could be lost!"

"Who cares? The World Government will have to surrender to Shiki once those animals destroy the East Blue! Consider them as noble sacrifices!"

"What can we say?" said another pirate captain. "We're following a hero among pirates!"

"You got that right!" said one underling pirate as he held up his mug of grog. "A toast to a new world order! From this moment on, the pirates are calling the shots, now!"

"CHEERS!" shouted all the other pirates in the bar.

"One more thing," said another pirate captain to the three Straw Hats. "Don't think you can come to the meeting in that get-up! You're gonna have to wear something formal!"

"So there's a dress code, eh?" Robin asked. "We understand."

"Another thing. There's a gonna be a bit of a demonstration, tonight, too!"

"A demonstration?" Robin repeated, questioningly.

"Yeah! On the village nearby this place! Shiki's gonna remove all those smelly trees and let the animals tear it apart! I'm really looking forward to it!"

The three Straw Hats gasped silently upon hearing that news.

_There's a village on this island…?_ Robin thought.

* * *

><p>Next chapter, the battle starts!<p>

Read and review, please!


	11. Ch 10 Straw Hats vs Shiki

**Ch. 10- Straw Hats vs. Shiki**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>Nami came outside of Xiao's house. She saw that the sky now had an orange-pinkish tint, signifying that the sun was starting to set. However, she couldn't see anyone in the front yard.<p>

No Luffy.

No Zoro.

No Usopp.

No Sanji.

No Chopper.

No Blizzard.

No anyone.

Just their bags discarded carelessly on the ground.

"Luffy?" Nami called as she cautiously ventured further into the yard. "Luffy! Zoro! Usopp! Sanji! Chopper! Blizzard! Boys? Where are you?"

"Nami! Get back inside!"

Nami looked up and saw Luffy and the rest of the boys, standing on a flat hill. Upon getting a closer look, she soon saw the reason why.

Shiki was here.

"Baby Girl…" said Shiki. "There you are!"

"Shiki…!" Nami gasped.

"How could you, Baby Girl?" Shiki questioned, mockingly. "You left without saying one word! That hurts, you know?"

"You shut your mouth, you perverted old bastard!" Sanji seethed. "You tricked and took Nami away from us! How dare you?"

**Grr~! BARK! BARK!** Blizzard growled and barked at Shiki.

_Lemme at him!_ he thought. _He's gonna be my new chew toy, when I'm through with him!_

"JIHAHAHAHA~!" cackled Shiki. "How could I not take such an elegant beauty away? If you wanted her to stay with you that bad, then you should've protected her more! Although, I can't say that she's on your side, anymore."

Nami gasped silently.

"Isn't that right, Baby Girl?"

"Damn you…!" Sanji cursed at Shiki.

"Hey, Steering Wheel-head!" Luffy called, his teeth gritted. "Don't think that you can take my navigator away from and get away with it!"

"Humph," Shiki grunted. "And just what are you gonna do about it, boy?"

"KICK YOUR ASS, THAT'S WHAT!" Luffy yelled before he charged at Shiki, followed by the rest of the boys.

"Guys!" Nami called. "Come back!"

"JIHAHAHAHAHAHA~!" Shiki laughed. "If you wanna fight, let's see what you've got!"

Luffy was the first to attack. He jumped and stretched his arm, grabbing onto the stone that Shiki was standing on, and then rocketed himself towards him with one arm out.

"Gum-Gum…SICKLE!"

Shiki managed to jump over Luffy's attack.

Now it was Usopp's turn.

"Certain Death…FIREBIRD STAR!"

**TWANG! FWOOSH!** The resulting shot took the form a giant, flaming bird, but Shiki still managed to evade.

Zoro's turn.

"72 Pound CANNON!"

**SLASH!** Zoro sent to air-based slashes at Shiki, who only manage to block with his swords. However, in doing so, he had neglected to keep his guard fully up.

"Arm Point!"

Behind Shiki, Chopper had shifted from Jumping Point to Arm Point and put his enlarged hooves together.

"Hoofprint…ROSEO MICHELLI!"

**BAP-BAP-BAP-BAP!** Chopper landed several cherry blossom petal-shaped hits on Shiki's back, making him grunt in pain.

Now, Blizzard was up.

The wolf-dog pawed the ground and got down low.

_Bullet FANG!_ he thought before he jumped at Shiki with the sound of a gunshot going off.

**SKISH!** Blizzard laid a large bite on Shiki's left side, causing a gash to form and drawing a bit of blood. The wolf-dog licked his chops, his tongue wiping up the metallic taste of the crimson liquid.

Shiki seethed as he turned to the white wolf-dog.

"Damn mutt!" he cursed.

Now for Sanji.

"Poitrine SHOOT!" Sanji shouted as he jumped and prepared to land a kick to Shiki's chest. That attack seemed to hit its mark, but then, Sanji saw, to his shock, that Shiki had managed to block…with the very palm of his hand.

"I gotta say," said Shiki, "you and your pals make a good team, Blondie. You actually make to me block with my hand. Good job. However, the real fight has barely begun.

Shiki began to raise his hand.

"Damn!" Zoro cursed.

"Sanji!" Chopper cried.

"I'll deal with you, first," said Shiki, a sick grin on his face.

Sanji gritted his teeth and flinched, preparing for the worst.

Zoro was prepared to go and get him out of there, but soon saw that there was no need to.

Luffy's arms were outstretched, way behind Shiki.

"…ROCKET!"

**WHAM!** Luffy hit Shiki dead-center in his back, causing him to let go of Sanji.

"Sorry," Luffy apologized to Sanji. "Was I interrupting something?"

"Not really," said Sanji.

The captain and chef landed on their feet, and the rest of the boys soon gathered. They looked up to Shiki, who was floating in the air.

Shiki was now sufficiently annoyed with the Straw Hats. He wasn't going to let some wet-behind-the-ears children defeat him…

Not like how he let a certain defeat him, 22 years ago.

"To think that you rookies can defeat me," said Shiki. "You're all nothing but a bunch of pests. I'll kill you all, here and now."

He raised his hands.

"Menacing Lion…WINDING EARTH!"

Suddenly, a pebble beside Luffy's foot started to tremble, making the rubber boy look down.

**RRRMMMMMB! BOOM!** The earth around the Straw Hats started to shake and then rise out of the ground.

"What the hell?" Luffy questioned. "What's going on?"

"Not good!" Usopp cried.

Nami, realizing the situation at hand, started to back away from the scene.

Xiao looked out her window, but soon fainted at the sight of rocks and earth rising into the air. Her mother rushed to her aid, but she was also shocked by the sight.

Shiki grinned malevolently at the Straw Hats as the stone and soil started to form into giant, roaring lion heads!

"I can handle this!" Luffy declared as he began to pump his arms back and forth. "Gum…Gum…CANNON!"

Luffy shot both fists forward, hitting one of the lion heads and causing it crumble.

"Hey, Crap Cook!" Zoro called to Sanji.

Sanji and Zoro jumped up, the latter jumping onto the former's leg.

"Armee de L'air Assault!" Sanji shouted. "POWER SHOOT!"

Sanji sends Zoro flying toward Shiki.

"My turn!" Usopp declared as he pulled on the shafts of his Kabuto. "Certain Death…ATLAS COMET!"

**TWANG!** Usopp sent four simultaneous Gunpowder Stars at Shiki, who grunted.

"Nice aim," he said, "but it won't work."

Shiki ducked below Usopp's Atlas Comet, just as it exploded.

"Three Swords Style…Demon Bull BRAVE HOOF!"

**SLASH!** Zoro made a slash at Shiki, but the attack was dodged by the latter's swords.

"What the…?" Zoro muttered.

"Humph," grunted Shiki. "You're not even worth killing."

**BAM!** Shiki sent Zoro plummeting back down to the ground.

"ZORO!" cried Luffy before he shot a death glare at Shiki. "YOU BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU?"

At the sound of the roars coming from the giant lion heads, the boys remembered the real trouble they were in. At that moment, the earth came tumbling down upon them, burying them one-by-one.

Luffy, as last resort, began to put his thumb into his mouth.

"Gear…TH-AHH!"

It was too late. Luffy was soon buried, as well.

The earth soon rose up and stiffened into a giant pillar of stone and soil…with Luffy and the boys trapped within.

The winner: Shiki.

* * *

><p>Read and review, please!<p> 


	12. Ch 11 Farewell

**Ch. 11- Farewell**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>Warning: a bit of romance up ahead.<p>

* * *

><p>"LUFFY~!" a horrified Nami screamed as she ran to the boys' aid. As she looked up to the pillar of earth they were trapped, all she could see were their unconscious faces with their mouths hanging open in shock and their eyes rolled up to the back of their skulls.<p>

Nami felt her heart sink deep into her stomach.

After all the time she had known them, she believed that no one could ever have the power to defeat her, especially her captain…but this…this just seemed to change everything.

By this time, Shiki appeared behind her, that menacing grin still creasing his face.

"Those boys and the mutt sure were annoying," said Shiki, "especially since you're about to fully understand the situation at hand and return to me."

A long, unsettling pause came.

"The attacks in the East Blue…" said Nami. "They were your doing, weren't they?"

Shiki's menacing grin grew wider.

"You got it," he said.

Nami clenched her hands into tight fists before she angrily turned to Shiki.

"Please," she said, "don't do my captain, my friends, or my home island anymore harm than you've already done! Please!"

"Ah-ah-ah…" Shiki said, disapprovingly as he tapped his cigar, causing a few ashes to fall. "You've got it wrong, Baby Girl. I told you, already. There's always something you'd want from your captain…right?"

Nami gasped silently, her wide eyes going a bit glazed. At this point, she realized what she had to do…but it didn't mean she was going to like it.

"The only thing I fear is that cyclone," Shiki said, "and you know that out here in the Grand Line, I need a talented navigator, such as yourself."

Nami glanced up at her unconscious crew, then at Shiki, and then at the bracelet that Nojiko had giver her.

"What's that thing?" Shiki asked. "Some kind of mirror?"

"It's a freaking bracelet!" Nami corrected, angrily. "My sister gave it to me when I left for the first time."

"Shiki…" Nami said. "If I join you…will you spare the East Blue? Please?"

"But of course!" Shiki answered. "I value the wishes of my crewmates more than anything in this world! I won't lay a finger on your homeland."

"Don't be stupid, Nami…!"

Nami gasped and glanced up at the pillar.

Usopp was still conscious and was gasping for breath.

"Usopp!" Nami cried.

"You can't do this, Nami…!" Usopp pleaded. "You can't give yourself up to Shiki…just because he promises…to spare our homes! Luffy will never forgive you, if you do!"

"Usopp, just stay out of this!" Nami argued.

"What do you mean Straw Hat won't forgive her, Long Nose?" Shiki questioned. "Do you not even understand the situation that you're in?"

Nami looked up a bit higher and sucked in a large amount of air.

Above the pillar was a huge floating rock…prepared to crush Luffy and the rest of the boys!

"_**NO!**_" screamed Nami. "Please, Shiki! I understand the situation, perfectly! Don't hurt them, especially Luffy!"

"And just why should I spare them, especially Straw Hat?" questioned Shiki.

A pause came. Nami heaved out a sigh.

"Because…I love Luffy," she answered. "And he loves me, too…I love all of my crew! Most of them are like my family…and I can't imagine living without them, Luffy especially!"

"I see," Shiki said. "Still, even if you do love them, then I think you know what you have to do if you want to protect them."

**Gulp!** Nami swallowed the lump in her throat.

"C'mon," said Shiki. "Let me hear you say it…Baby Girl."

Nami gritted her teeth, going on the verge of tears, before she looked back up to Usopp.

"Usopp," she said. "I'm sorry…but I have to do this…for you guys and the East Blue…"

"No…" Usopp whispered, weakly.

"Look," said Nami. "Just relax and leave me here."

"No…!"

"I'll be fine…!"

"Stop it, Nami!"

"I'll be safe, no matter where I go, okay?"

"**SHUT THE HELL UP!**" Usopp barked. "DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT YOU'RE-"

**THWACK!** Before Usopp get his words out, a large rock collides with his face, knocking him back into unconsciousness.

"What an annoying brat," hissed Shiki before he turned back to Nami. "So…what's your answer, Baby Girl?"

Nami's body trembled with anger and turmoil. She hesitantly turned to face Shiki, her eyes shut tight.

"You win," she said. "I'll be your navigator."

"Be?" Shiki repeated, questioningly. "You'll have to do better than that!"

Nami slowly gritted her teeth.

Shiki forcing her to do these things was a reminder of her 8 years of torturous slavery with Arlong. However, she knew that if she was going to protect the rest of the Straw Hats and her home…then she had no choice.

Reluctantly, Nami got down to the ground on her knees and gently leaned down in a bow.

"Please," she whispered. "Let me be…a part of your crew…!"

Shiki's menacing grin grew even wider.

"That's more like it," he chuckled.

Nami felt her face get hot and small tear droplets falling from her eyes and onto the ground. She had never felt so disgusted with herself than right now. She really didn't want to betray her friends and her…former captain…but what else could she possibly do?

"Realizing that there are just some opponents you can't defeat is the first part of acceptance," Shiki explained.

At that moment, the golden Tone Dial from earlier this week appeared before Nami.

"Here," said Shiki. "I'm not a kidnapper, after all. Use this, and give the friends you love so much and have helped you through good times and bad a heartfelt farewell."

Nami takes the dial into her hand, and, after she manages to choke back a few sobs and wipe away her tears, she raised it her mouth, pressed the apex, and began to speak.

XXX

Night had finally fallen when Nami was finished with her message.

"Good farewell, Baby Girl," said Shiki, trying to sound as sympathetic as he could. "Don't worry…I'm certain that Straw Hat will understand…if he and his buddies manage to crawl outta there, that is."

Nami gently set the Tone Dial down on the ground and approached Shiki, preparing to leave, but then…

"Wait," said Nami. "Take me up to see Luffy before I go…just…one last time."

Shiki seemed hesitant, but then he nodded in understanding.

Using his powers, Shiki brought Nami up to Luffy via a floating rock, just big enough to carry her.

Nami stared at Luffy's unconscious face, her tears starting to return, once again. Gently, she cradled the Straw Hat captain's head in her hands.

"Luffy…" whispered Nami, tearfully. "I know you probably can't hear me, right now…but I just wanna let you know…that I'm very sorry…I just hope that you and the others will understand."

With that, Nami gently closed Luffy's mouth, just slightly so there was a narrow opening across his lips, and then, she leaned in and gave him a chaste, but sad kiss.

She heard that farewells hurt…just not this much.

* * *

><p>Read and review, please!<p> 


	13. Ch 12 Demonstration

**Ch. 12- Demonstration**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in Shiki's palace, Dr. Indigo had been watching everything through one of the screens.<p>

"He's got her," he said before he spoke into a Mini Transponder Snail. "All right! Commence operations as planned."

XXX

Around the village, some muscular men with gas masks, Shiki's henchmen, were uprooting the Daft Green trees from the ground and carrying them off to who-knows-where.

XXX

Shiki was headed back to his palace with Nami in tow, standing on a giant flat stone with Nami sitting behind him.

She had been quiet the whole way.

XXX

The pirates were now gathering from the bar to Shiki's palace to attend the meeting he had planned.

XXX

Scarlet approached a ledge, overlooking the rest of the island.

There was a pause, but then the pink-furred gorilla beat his chest and let out a huge roar.

Suddenly, the island's animals began to come from all over. Four-tailed foxes, giant walruses, dinosaurs, six-legged mammoths, giant insects, scythe-carrying weasels, long-eared wolves, the lot, and they were all headed to one place…

The village.

XXX

In Shiki's palace, Shiki had finally arrived at the screen room.

"Welcome back, Lord Shiki," greeted Dr. Indigo.

"Yeah," said Shiki as he sat down on his throne. He turned a bit to face a corner. "Hey!" he called. "What do you think you're doing? Get out here!"

Nami entered the room. She was no longer wearing her colorful outfit. She was now dressed in a black dress with a pink feather boa draped around her neck.

Shiki just chuckled.

"You look even prettier when you dress formally!" he said before he pointed to the screen. "Look at this, Baby Girl. You should be glad that you joined up, now! Aren't you happy that your homeland won't be suffering like this?"

Nami looked to the direction that Shiki was pointing, only to gasp silently in horror.

There, on the big screen, were the animals, and they were attacking something.

It was Xiao's village!

The monsters were everywhere.

Two four-tailed foxes smashed a house with their lashing tails. A wooly mammoth rammed through a rock wall, which stood no chance against its massive tusks. A T-Rex monster stomped another house, letting out a huge roar.

So this was the demonstration that Shiki spoke of.

XXX

Xiao was horrified by the sight that played before he eyes.

Her entire home was being destroyed by these beasts, and now, she, her mother, her grandmother, and all the other villagers were forced to flee.

"Quickly! To the trench! Hurry!"

Xiao looked away, small beads of tears flying as she did.

To think that Shiki would go so far as to give the villagers hope, only to shatter it like this.

He was certainly a cruel man.

In spite of the turmoil that was happening, Xiao found herself more worried about something else.

She was more concerned for Luffy and the others.

XXX

Back at the palace, Nami looked on with an expressionless face, as if she didn't care at all.

Then, she turned to leave.

"Is that all you have to show me?" she asked. "I'll be in my room if anyone needs me."

"Humph," Shiki grunted. "I thought she'd be the least bit interested."

* * *

><p>Sorry if it's a bit short.<p>

Read and review, please!


	14. Ch 13 The Message

**Ch. 13- The Message**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>Down at the village, Franky, Robin, and Brook rode into the village, or rather, what was left of it, via a grasshopper-like motorcycle.<p>

"Damn it," Franky cursed. "We're too late!"

"What a tragedy…!" Brook gasped. "I can't believe my eyes! Although, I have no eyes. Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho!"

"Indeed," Robin chimed in. "It's just like in the front page of the newspaper."

"Yeah, well," Franky began, "if we wait too long, the East Blue's gonna get trashed, just like this place!"

"Franky," called Robin. "We better hurry and find Luffy and the others."

"Gotcha," Franky said in agreement. "YO! STRAW HAT! WHERE ARE YA?"

"MISTER LUFFY!" Brook called.

"LUFFY!" Robin cried. "IF YOU CAN HEAR US, GIVE US A SIGN! LUFFY~!"

Just then, the trio spotted something up ahead. It was the stone pillar!

"What in the world…?" gasped Robin as they stopped in front of it and dismounted the bike.

It was then that they saw Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, and Blizzard, still trapped in it.

"Straw Hat!" exclaimed Franky.

"Mister Zoro and the others, as well!" added Brook.

"Hurry!" Robin commanded. "We have to get them out of there! Luffy might be okay, but the others could be suffocating as we speak!"

XXX

About a few minutes later, Luffy and the boys were successfully dug out from their earthy prison. After they had been revived, Robin had explained everything to the group, and needless to say, they were surprised.

"So Shiki's the one behind the East Blue attacks?" asked Luffy.

"Yes…" Robin answered.

Sanji lit up a cigarette, took a drag, and then blew out of a puff of smoke.

"So, he's gonna use those monsters to turn our homes topsy-turvy," said the cook. "Damn it. We were played for fools."

Zoro gritted his teeth, disappointed with himself for not realizing sooner.

Chopper tended to Usopp and Blizzard's wounds, gently dabbing them with cotton balls and antiseptic.

"Nami," Usopp said. "She left with Shiki while we are all out…all to save our homes…and our asses."

Blizzard huffed out a sigh.

Luffy just smacked his lips, a bit. There was the sweet taste of tangerine oranges and other kinds of fruit on his tongue…one that he had been familiar with for a long time, too.

Just then, Chopper spotted something, or rather, someone from behind.

It was Xiao, her mother, and her grandmother.

"Xiao, it's you!" Chopper exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Xiao answered, her voice sounding a bit tearful. "We hid in the trench nearby the village…everyone's okay."

"You're wrong, Xiao," said her mother before she turned to the Straw Hats. "Just now…you kids said that you were from the East Blue, didn't you?"

Luffy nodded his head, "yes".

"And your friend, the girl with the orange hair," said Xiao's mother. "She is from the East Blue, too, isn't she?"

"Uh-huh," Luffy answered.

Xiao's mother gasped in shuddered in horror.

"How could I have been so selfish?" she questioned to no one in particular, on the verge of tears. "I was so happy to hear that Shiki was leaving, that I wished he'd leave for the East Blue, right then and there! I forgot that your friend was there and she probably heard every word! What have I done?"

"Same here!" Xiao cried, furiously wiping away her own tears as she wailed.

At that moment, Luffy noticed something in Xiao's hand.

It was the Tone Dial.

"Hey, Xiao," said Luffy. "What's that you got there?"

"Huh?" Xiao muttered before she looked at the Tone Dial. "Oh, this? I picked it up from here."

"Lemme look at it," Luffy said as he approached her.

"Okay," Xiao said.

Luffy knelt down and took the dial from her hand, and then gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," he said. "You're pretty cool, Xiao."

"I am?" Xiao questioned.

"You sure are," answered Luffy. "Even thought your home's been trashed, you worry more about Nami than yourself. I like kids like you."

Hearing that from Luffy seemed to brighten Xiao up a bit.

"This isn't your fault, you know," said Luffy as his grin fell into a scowl. "The real bad guy is Shiki. I'll make sure to beat the living crap outta him, twice as hard, for you and your mom. So buck up, okay?"

Xiao nodded her head in understanding.

"Thanks, Mister Luffy," she said.

Luffy grinned again, ruffling up Xiao's hair. Blizzard soon followed by giving the girl a big, slobbery kiss, causing Xiao to giggle.

"Poochie…!" she said.

Luffy turned to the rest of his crew. They instantly recognized the Tone Dial in his hand.

"Hey!" Usopp said. "Isn't that the Tone Dial from earlier?"

"Yeah," Luffy answered before he pressed on the apex.

**"Everyone…I'm sorry. Forgive me for not saying goodbye to you all, personally."**

Everyone gasped.

"That's Nami voice!" Chopper declared.

**"I'm going to be a part of Shiki's crew, from now on. Please, try to understand. Shiki is a very legendary man, and he's just too powerful, even for Luffy! If you all fight him, you'll just be needless sacrifices."**

Suddenly, Luffy's hand started to tremble, followed by his whole body. His muscles tensed up. A large, angry vein appeared on his forehead. His teeth grinded so hard, that if they weren't made of rubber, they'd certainly break.

Physically speaking…Luffy was pissed.

**"So…let me just say this…"**

"_**WHAT THE HELL IS THIS BULL CRAP?**_" Luffy roared, questioningly, at the very top of his lungs.

Blizzard and Chopper yelped as they covered their sensitive ears. Usopp backed away in fear of Luffy's sudden burst of rage. Xiao simply fainted, again.

"WHAT THE HELL IS SHE SAYING?" Luffy questioned. "WHY WOULD SHE LEAVE THIS TRASH FOR US?"

"H-hey, now, L-Luffy!" stammered Usopp. "S-s-simmer down!"

"SHE'S MAKING IT SOUND LIKE WE'RE WEAK!" Luffy kept yelling. "WHY THE HELL DID SHE SAY STUFF LIKE THIS?"

"But, Straw Hat," said Franky. "He beat you guys, didn't he?"

"What did you say?" Luffy growled, sending a death glare at the cyborg. "It's only because I…! It doesn't mean…!"

"Luffy, simmer down!" begged Usopp before he turned to Franky. "Franky, shut up! You're only making him madder!"

"WHY DON'T YOU SHUT UP?" snarled Luffy before he shoved the Tone Dial into Usopp's hands and stomped off. "Damn it…!" he cursed.

Everyone watched as their seething captain went off to vent out his frustrations, but it wasn't just because he was angry at Nami. Inside, he was hurt, too.

He loved Nami, and she returned his love…so why? Why did she all those things?

Luffy never felt so betrayed than right now.

"Hey, Usopp…" called Sanji.

"Huh?"

"Play it again," the cook said. "The Tone Dial."

"Oh!" Usopp said. "R-right."

**Click!** Usopp pressed on the apex.

**"Everyone…I'm sorry. Forgive me for not saying goodbye to you all, personally. I'm going to be a part of Shiki's crew, from now on. Please, try to understand. Shiki is a very legendary man, and he's just too powerful, even for Luffy! If you fight him, you'll all just be needless sacrifices. So…let me just say this…"**

**SPROING!** Luffy stretched his arm back as he was facing a boulder.

"Gum…Gum…"

The Straw Hats, meanwhile, all looked at the Tone Dial with shocked expressions as the last few words played from it.

"BULLET!"

**SMASH!** Luffy shattered the boulder into tiny pebbles with a single, powerful punch. He continued to seethe as his anger slowly began to sink.

One thing was for certain, though…

Shiki was going to pay for taking his navigator from him, again…whatever the cost.

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><p>Read and review, please!<p> 


	15. Ch 14 Betrayal

**Ch. 14- Betrayal**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>Shiki's ship had just docked at the main archipelago, in front of his palace.<p>

Shiki, himself, was watching the screen as the many pirate captains he had summoned made their way inside.

"Looks like the elites have finally gathered," said Shiki. "Prepare yourself, World Government…I haven't felt my legs ache like this in 20 years."

**PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!** The sound of Dr. Indigo's footsteps was heard, once again, as he entered. The man was doing his bizarre gestures, once again. He even pulled his leg up against his back.

"I see," said Shiki before he got up an left. "I'll go take a look, then."

There was an awkward pause.

"HE ACTUALLY UNDERSTOOD?" Dr. Indigo questioned in comical shock.

XXX

Outside, Shiki had arrived at the circle of Daft Green on surrounding his palace with a gas mask over his face, so as not to breathe in the poison pollen. He also saw that a couple of them had been destroyed.

"So," Shiki said, "you thought you could get those beasts to come and destroy my palace by destroying the Daft Green, eh?"

Two guards were standing before Shiki with a familiar figure trapped in their grasp.

"You've been planning this along, haven't you…Baby Girl?"

The figure weakly raised her head, revealing herself to be Nami. Parts of her face and skin was covered with green blotches.

She had succumbed to the poison of the Daft Green.

"And I did everything you asked me to do, too," Shiki said in mock disappointment.

"I knew…" Nami managed to say. "I knew that you wouldn't hold your end of the deal…I don't want my homeland to be destroyed…and I don't want Luffy or my friends to be in pain because of what happened!"

Shiki narrowed his eyes at Nami.

**GRAB!** He grabbed the orange-haired navigator by the throat, making her gag, before he forcefully pinned her against one of the Daft Green trees. This caused the spots on her skin to get bigger, sending Nami into even further agony as she felt her body start to get stiff.

Shiki pulled Nami away from the plant, a vicious scowl hidden behind his mask.

"You shouldn't be so hasty, now," said the legendary pirate. "You didn't take the Daft Green's poison into account, now did you?"

Nami weakly grabbed at Shiki's arm and gasped for air she couldn't seem to find.

"Homes…friends…family…" Shiki said. "True pirates don't care about such petty things!"

Out of nowhere, many black spears appeared, courtesy of Shiki's powers.

"If you let those things hold you back," Shiki continued, "then you'll just be throwing your life away!"

With that, Shiki threw Nami to the ground.

**SHUK! SHUK! SHUK!** The spears flew at Nami, sticking into the ground and skewering her dress. She was most fortunate that none of them had impaled her, but now, she was unable to move and was trapped within the Daft Green.

"If you're lucky enough," said Shiki, "then you might survive after the meeting…and then…I will make you my navigator…forever."

Nami seethed in pain as small tears started to blossom from her eyes. Those words were nearly identical to the ones that Arlong had once said. It pained her more than the poison spreading through the very blood in her veins.

"I don't hate cheeky women like you, Baby Girl," said Shiki. "It's just that…I don't like women who try to piss me off."

With that, Shiki walked away with his menacing laughter. As he did, Nami could only lay there…sobbing silently.

XXX

A moment later, Shiki arrived back in his palace and walked across a traditional Japanese throne room. Once he sat down, he saw before him the pirate captains that had gathered, sitting across from each other in formal suits and coats dangling from their shoulders.

"Welcome, my brethren!" Shiki declared. "We shall now begin the Golden Lion Alliance Ceremony! First off, I don't accept any traitors. Keep that in mind. And now, we shall finally depart for the Sea of Stratagems! The one and only tragic sea, the East Blue!"

"YEAH~!" the pirates cheered.

Shiki smirked, chuckling.

This was it. His plan was now coming together. If Shiki invaded the East Blue now…then it would spell the end for all who inhabit it.

* * *

><p>I know, it's kind of a short one, again, but hey! Next chapter...the epicness begins.<p>

Read and review, please!


	16. Ch 15 The Main Army

**Ch. 15- The Main Army**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the forest…<p>

"Let's get going, Franky."

"Right."

The _Thousand Sunny_ was still sitting in the clearing that it had been found in. Its back cannon began to glow, brightly.

"Everybody hang on tight. Coup de BURST!"

**BLOOOOWW!** The _Sunny_ went flying, high into the night sky.

XXX

In Shiki's throne room, Dr. Indigo was busy pouring sake into everyone's dishes, one-by-one.

XXX

The guards stood outside the palace gates, on watch for the evening, when all of a sudden, they spotted something in the distance…and it was coming in fast. Real fast.

It was the _Sunny_!

"LOOK OUT!" cried one of the guards in warning.

"INCOMING!" cried another.

**BAM!** The ship came plummeting down, skidding along the ground, destroying some of the Daft Green in its path. If it weren't for the Adam, it would've been destroyed the moment it crashed. The ship soon came to a halt in front of the gates.

"What the hell?"

"How dare you go parking your ship in front of the royal palace?"

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

At that moment, 9 shadowy figures appeared from the ship.

The guards only gasped in horror.

XXX

Dr. Indigo had finished pouring everyone sake and now stood beside Shiki with a sake saucer in his hand.

"As we all know," said Shiki, "the East Blue is the weakest of all the seas. No one in the world would care about its destruction. Do with it as you see fit." He stood up, saucer raised. "The Golden Lion pirates are now complete! By tomorrow, the World Government will be brought to its knees! Let us toast to our victory-to-come!"

The pirates cheer.

Just when Shiki was about to take a sip of his drink, someone rushed in. It was one of Shiki's henchmen.

"Lord Shiki!" he cried.

"What do you want?" Shiki questioned. "Can't you see that we're in the middle of something?"

"It's an emergency," said the blue-haired man.

About five seconds later…

"What?" Shiki questioned. "8 people and a stupid dog are storming the palace? Why haven't you gotten rid of them, yet?"

"About that, sir," said the henchmen, practically sweating bullets.

XXX

Outside, the guards had been taken out, one-by-one, and the gate had been blasted open.

9 figures marched through the palace, as if they were on warpath, until they arrived at the throne room.

**SLASH!** Someone cut up one of the doors, causing it get busted open.

Another figure tried to kick the other door down, only to have his foot go through the paper.

"Whoops."

The other pirates in the room just stared, silently and somewhat annoyed.

"What the hell are you doing?" came an annoyed voice.

"Well, I was just trying to-"

"You'll get it busted down that way. Let me show you how it's done!"

"No, no, wait! Hang o-"

**WHAM!** The other door was practically busted off its hinges by a powerful kick, revealing the figures that had stormed in.

It was none other than the Straw Hat crew, all dressed in formal black outfits…and carrying firearms. While some of them, mainly Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, Franky, Blizzard, and Brook were wearing suits, Usopp had traditional Japanese armor worn over his suit, Robin was wearing a black dress, and Luffy, who was entering, nonchalantly, was wearing not only a black suit…but there was, a big, black coat draped on shoulders like a cape.

He looked like a regular pirate captain.

The Straw Hats looked more like a mafia ring than a crew of pirates.

Shiki only seethed at them. He thought that he had gotten rid of these fools, so what are doing here, and now, of all times?

Regaining his composure, the legendary pirate just put his cigar into his mouth and said, "It's you kids…you never cease surprise me."

There was a short pause before the Straw Hats just entered the room, silently.

"Are you the one who's attacking the East Blue?" Luffy questioned, his eyes concealed under the rim of his hat.

"Yeah," Shiki answered. "What of it?"

The Straw Hats soon stopped in the middle of the rim.

Luffy raised his head slightly, revealing one of his eyes.

"So how's Nami doing?" he asked.

Shiki made a devilish smirk.

"Well, she's been better," he answered.

Blizzard's ears twitched, suddenly. He thought he heard what sounded like snickering…coming from behind the walls. He growled, his fur rising along his back and his fangs threatening to pull the trigger of the pistol in his mouth, but Luffy gently placed a hand on the wolf-dog's head.

"Easy, boy," he whispered, trying to ease his dog's tension. "Not yet."

"You know," said Shiki, "you lot may look like a tough bunch, but don't think that you can make a difference with just 8 people and a mutt!"

Just then, the walls came down, revealing the rest of the pirates hiding behind them, all armed with guns and sabers. There had to be at least 100,000 of them, perhaps more.

Shiki must've known that they were coming from the start and planned an ambush.

"JIHAHAHAHAHA!" he laughed. "A foolish little girl who thought she could give herself up to protect her home, as well as a reckless suicide squad? What'll they think of, next?"

"What are you, stupid?" questioned Luffy, his hat once again concealing his eyes.

"Huh?" muttered Shiki.

"Nami didn't give herself up…" Luffy said. "She was really the advanced, come to fight for us!"

At that moment, the Straw Hats raised their guns, aiming them at the men that surrounded them.

"Get ready for hell, Golden Lion Shiki," Luffy said. "BECAUSE WE'RE THE MAIN ARMY~!"

**KABANG! BANG! BANG!** The Straw Hats opened fire, blasting anyone who was foolish enough to stay within range.

"YOHOHOHOHOHO!" Brook cackled, apparently enjoying himself.

Blizzard pressed one of his fangs against the trigger of his pistol, shooting anyone who was within his aim.

Luffy soon joined in, pulling out his huge shotgun and firing left and right.

Shiki's anger was practically at its boiling point. He was just sitting there, watching, as some two-bit boy and his kindergarten friends make a mockery of his alliance! It was madness!

Before long, the Straw Hats had completely unloaded their guns.

"We're outta ammo," said Franky as he tossed his two giant pistols away.

"There are still a few guys left," Sanji added, also throwing guns aside.

"What do you expect?" Zoro chimed in as he, too, threw his guns to the side. "We only came to say 'hi' after all."

"Usopp! Chopper!" called Luffy as threw his coat off. "Go and find Nami!"

"We're on it!" Usopp and Chopper said as they ran off.

As the remaining pirates staggered to their feet, one of the captains seethed.

"Those damn brats and their stupid mutt. Kill them all, men!"

The pirate cronies yelled in agreement before they charged forward.

Luffy pulled of his black suit, revealing the black tie and red shirt underneath.

"Lord Shiki," said the blue-haired man. "You must get inside!"

"Yeah…" Shiki murmured as he stood up and turned to leave.

Luffy slowly followed, walking through the chaos, a stern, hateful glare in his eyes.

Some of the pirates attempted to shoot him, but several arms sprouted from their shoulders and covered their eyes, causing them aim and shoot wildly.

"Take Straw Hat's head off!" cried a Fishman captain.

As the pirates lunged at Luffy, Brook suddenly appeared before them and played a soft tune on his violin.

"Lullaby PERRY!"

As quick as wink, the pirates fell to the floor, asleep. However, one pirate, armed with a saber, managed to stay awake and went after Luffy as he continued to walk by. Just when he was about to get close, a white blue tackled him to the ground and bit down hard on his face. The pirate struggled to get him off, but the wolf-dog proved to be too strong for him. Before long, the pirate stopped moving and breathing, altogether.

Once Blizzard was certain he was dead, he circled the corpse once, cocked his leg up, and let out a stream of urine on his face.

By this time, Luffy had caught up to Shiki, and now had his hands clenched into tight fists.

"Where is she?" he hissed, questioningly as he took a running start and then jumped at Shiki from behind. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO NAMI~?"

**POW!** Luffy landed a forceful punch in Shiki's jaw, sending him flying down the hall. Shiki just grunted and flew off, but Luffy soon gave chase after him.

"LORD SHIKI!" cried the blue-haired man.

Dr. Indigo, armed with a large sword, stood in front of Luffy and prepared to hack him into tiny, rubber bits, but Zoro soon appeared as if out of nowhere and blocked the blade with two of his own.

"Stay outta my captain's way," the swordsman hissed, venomously.

Scarlet also dared to stand in Luffy's path, but he, too, was soon disposed of, courtesy of Sanji, who laid a forceful kick to the gorilla's side.

"Didn't Moss-head just say to stay outta his way?" Sanji questioned.

Luffy ran down the hall where Shiki escaped through like a pirate possessed. He wasn't going to let this so-called "legend" get away from him. Not after all he's done to him, his friends, Xiao, her mother, her grandmother, the villagers…and mostly…Nami.

"I'm coming for you, you son of a bitch!" Luffy seethed. "I'm gonna make you wish you were never even born!"

XXX

Nami still lay trapped in the spears, the poison becoming more painful than ever. She could barely move her body, let alone breathe. It felt like her lungs had stiffened up, altogether.

Just then, Nami's weak eyes were met with a flash of light. Trying to lift her head up as best she could, and saw that it was Billy, his body sparking, his nose plugged up to keep out the smell of the Daft Green. Behind him were two guards, lying on the ground, unconscious and slightly burned, not from flames but by electricity.

"Billy…" Nami whispered, barely able to get her voice out. "You came to help me, didn't you?"

Billy nodded, his feather still crackling with electricity.

Very weakly, Nami lifted her hand up, reaching for Billy's wing.

"Billy," she said. "I…I need you…to do something for me."

**KRRZZZT!** Nami managed to get a hold of Billy's wing, only to get herself slightly shocked.

Billy squawked in panic and tried to pull away, fearing that he was doing more harm to the navigator than good.

"Calm down, Billy," said Nami. "I need you…to stay here…and listen to what I have to say."

Billy nodded in understanding. He took in a deep breath and then let it out, calming his nerves and stopping his feathers from sparking.

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><p>Read and review, please!<p> 


	17. Ch 16 Assault

**Ch. 16- Assault**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>Chopper, in Walk Point form, galloped through the outside halls of the palace with Usopp riding atop his back. He stomped and kicked anyone who dared to get in the way.<p>

Four more pirates appeared to the right, but Usopp was prepared. The sharpshooter pulled out his Kabuto and pulled on the shafts.

"Certain Death…CONTINUOS FLAMING STAR!"

**TWANG! FWOOSH!** The pirates were soon sniped out by Usopp's flaming shots.

Chopper leapt onto a nearby roof with Usopp struggling to hang on, but he managed to keep his balance by hanging onto his "steed's" fur.

The two scanned the area, looking for any sign of Nami, but from where they were standing, they couldn't see hide or orange hair of the navigator.

"Can you find her, Chopper?" asked Usopp.

"No," Chopper answered. "With all the Daft Green in the air, I can't get a good trace of her scent. I wish Blizzard were here, right now. His nose is twice as strong as mine, after all."

"Damn it," cursed Usopp.

Just then, the sniper's highly trained eyes spotted something in distance. It looked like a light of some sort. Pulling down the lens of his goggles, Usopp soon saw that it was Nami and Billy!

"I found her!" Usopp declared. "And Billy's with her, too!"

"What?" Chopper questioned. "Where are they?"

"They're in the Daft Green!" Usopp answered. "Follow the light! Quickly!"

When Chopper heard "Daft Green", he knew he had to get there, fast. With no time to lose, the reindeer galloped off to Nami's rescue.

XXX

Billy's body was crackling with electricity. His tail feathers were open like a large fan. He let out a squawk before he put his beak to the ground. However, it appeared that his beak had touched…a fuse, and it was now lit. He lout another squawk before he flew off.

Nami still lay within her prison, the poison now overwhelming her. She didn't seem to care for the lit fuses, at all.

She just let her mind wander to the day she left home.

_Flashback_

Nami was about to leave with Luffy and the others, this time for good. Before she left, though, Nojiko wanted to see her little sister off.

"Nami," Nojiko called as she took one of her bracelets off. "Take with this with you, okay?"

**Flick!** Nojiko flicked the ring out of her thumb, tossing to Nami, who caught it in her palms.

Nojiko gave her a soft smile.

"Have fun out there, okay?" she said.

_Flashback end_

Nami smiled as the fuses continued to burn, a small tear beginning to form in her eye. If she died here, at least she died knowing that her sister was safe.

_Nojiko,_ she thought. _At least you'll be okay, right? I won't let our home…meet its destruction…but…one my regret…is leaving Luffy and the others like this._

XXX

Usopp and Chopper, who had shifted to Brain Point, were merely a few feet away from Nami.

**CLOP! CLOP! CLOP!** Chopper's hooves pounded the ground as he galloped as he fast as he could.

"Almost there," Chopper said. "Hang in there, Nami!"

The reindeer jumped through two Daft Green trees, not caring about the smell.

At that moment, Usopp noticed something. There was something sitting at the base of the trees.

The Daft Green had been rigged with dynamite, and they were about to go off!

Before Usopp could let out a warning…

**KABLAM!** The dynamite exploded, destroying all the Daft Green.

As the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Usopp and Chopper had survived.

"Chopper?" Usopp called. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Chopper answered. "Just a bit shaken up, that's all…wait…where's Nami?"

Apparently, Nami had also survived the explosion, but she was still trapped.

"Nami!" cried Chopper as he and Usopp ran to her aid.

"Hey, Nami!" Usopp called. "You all right? Hey!"

"Nami, say something!" Chopper begged. "Anything! Speak to us!"

"Hang on!" said Usopp as he started to pull on the spears. "I'll have you out in a jiff!"

Chopper finally noticed the green blotches on Nami's skin, and they were bigger than before.

"Oh, no…!" the little reindeer gasped. "She's got the Daft disease, just like Xiao's grandmother!"

"And it looks like it's spreading, too!" added Usopp.

"You're right," said Chopper. "We better get her treated, and fast!"

Suddenly, Chopper's ears started to twitch. He turned back to the horizon.

"What's wrong?" asked Usopp as he followed Chopper's gaze.

Huge shadowy figures appeared over the horizon, causing the two Straw Hats to tremble in fear.

"Oh, good lord…!" Usopp whispered.

"Don't tell me…!" Chopper squeaked, eyes wide.

"As if we don't have enough on our plates, already!"

"We need to hurry and get Nami outta here!"

Upon getting a closer look, they saw that it was animals of the island, stampeding towards the palace. Without the smell of the Daft Green to keep them away, they were now free to destroy the very thing that lay in their path: Shiki's palace.

"OH, NO~!" Usopp and Chopper cried.

They hurriedly removed the spears in seconds flat, just when the animals were almost upon them. Shifting into Heavy Point, Chopper picked Nami up, bridal style and dashed off with Usopp following behind him.

**WHAM!** The monsters rammed through one of the palace walls, interrupting the battle that was going on within.

Robin, Franky, Blizzard, Brook, Dr. Indigo, Scarlet, and all the other pirates that were inside now found themselves fighting off the huge beasts.

Franky was soon being chased by a giant anemone, which was trying to pound him with its tentacles. He shot several rounds at the creature, but it didn't seem to have any effect on it.

The cyborg was soon pinned to wall and was lifted by his waist. He seemed unconscious, but then, he made a sly smirk and prepared to fire his arm bazooka.

"Weapons LEFT!"

**KABANG!** Franky blasted the anemone away.

Brook was currently doing battle with a literal Firefly.

"Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!" he laughed as he dashed forward and then slowed into a walk.

**FWICK!** The firefly ignited its forelegs and prepared to attack Brook from behind.

It didn't see him preparing to sheathe his sword.

"Three-Verse Humming…ARROW NOTCH SLICE!"

The firefly suddenly fell to the floor, dead, green blood gushing from its thorax and its wings shredded.

Blizzard was fighting with a scythe-wielding weasel. The wolf-dog snarled at the animal before he jumped and ducked to evade its slashes. Then, he dashed forward at top speed.

_CRACKER!_ he thought.

**BONG!** Blizzard's thick skull made impact with the weasel's head, causing its own skull to crack open. A river of blood from the open wound before it fell to the floor, dead as a doornail.

Blizzard, with a grunt, circled the weasel once, lifted his leg, and let Mother Nature do the rest.

Robin, meanwhile, was fighting off a giant moth, which was spraying spores with its wings, which were currently wrapped in four giant arms. Needless to say, the historian was having a rather hard time trying to keep herself together.

"Cien Fleur…Quatro Mano…CLUTCH!"

**CRRACK!** The moth felt its exoskeleton snap before it fell down.

Robin fell to her knees, coughing hard. The moth's spores were taking effect. She now found herself becoming lethargic and was barely able to move.

Just then, a shadow loomed over her. Robin looked back and saw that it was Scarlet, who lifted his sunglasses, revealing hearts in his eyes.

XXX

Usopp and Chopper had hidden themselves in a hut and were currently looking Nami over.

(A/N: Not in that certain way, just so you know.)

Nami had finally started to breathe, again, but just barely.

"How is she, Chopper?" asked Usopp.

"Her breathing is stable," said Chopper, "but I don't know how much longer she's gonna last. Poor Nami…"

"Yeah," said Usopp. "If Luffy ever saw this, he'll probably be tearing himself up about this."

"Don't remind me," added Chopper.

Suddenly, Billy appeared and landed by Nami's side. He felt rather guilty having to leave her in the Daft Green, and seeing her like his made all the more worse.

"It's okay, Billy," said Chopper. "The only we can help Nami is if we give her the antidote from the IQ…but Shiki's the only who has it."

"Where do you think it might be?" Usopp asked.

There was a pause.

Suddenly, Usopp spots something.

"Oh, crap!" he cried. "INCOMING!"

Some air-based slashes appeared, destroying the hut and causing, Usopp, Nami, and Chopper to fall, but they soon emerged from the wreckage, unscathed.

"Ugh…" Chopper groaned.

"Chopper!" Usopp exclaimed. "Is Nami…?"

"Yeah," the human-reindeer answered. "She's just fine."

Usopp looked up to wherever those slashes came from, but didn't have to look long.

There, floating in the air, was Shiki. His gaze was glaring down at the Straw Hats, mainly Nami, with killer intent.

"Sh…Shiki…!" stammered Usopp.

"Oh, no…!" Chopper gasped.

"Now you've really gone and pissed me off," Shiki hissed, venomously. "You little bitch…I'll kill your for this!"

Just then, the snow rose up from the ground, forming a giant lion head.

"There's nothing you can do now, girl," said Shiki. "The East Blue shall PERISH!"

At that, more lion heads appeared, roaring thunderously.

"Oh, no…!" gasped Usopp. "Not, again!"

"Imperial Palace of WINDING EARTH!" Shiki cried.

The lion heads began to move in, preparing to bury the three Straw Hats.

"Time for you brats to die in despair!" Shiki roared, just as the lions did.

"DAMN IT!" Usopp cursed. "WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

Just when it seemed that way…

"Gum-Gum…GATLING!"

Out of nowhere, a flurry of rapid-fire punches appeared and caused the lion heads to disperse.

Usopp and Chopper stopped flinching and soon saw the reason why.

It was Luffy, come to the rescue!

"LUFFY!" the boys cried.

Luffy just turned back and gave them a smirk.

Shiki seethed, more enraged than ever.

This stupid brat just didn't know when to give up!

"You still wanna go, boy?" the man questioned.

By this time, Nami's eyes began to open, albeit rather weakly, and the first thing she sees is Luffy approaching her.

When Luffy saw those green blotches on her skin…that just seemed to fuel his anger to its boiling point.

Silently, Luffy took his hat off of his crown and gently set upon Nami's hair.

"Nami…" he said. "We'll all go back together…once I kick this guy's ass for you."

Nami smiled weakly.

"Luffy…" she whispered.

"I'll take care of Shiki," said Luffy as he turned to face said pirate. "You two, get Nami outta here!"

"Right!" Usopp said as he ran off with Chopper following behind.

"Good luck, Luffy!" he called as he carried Nami away.

Luffy glared up at Shiki, his fists clenched and teeth gritted behind his lips.

"No matter where you go," Shiki starts, "it's only gonna be the death penalty for you and kindergarten pals, Straw Hat."

Luffy just silently stared at him. Then, he spread his knees apart, one hand on one knee, the other hand to the ground, and he began to pump up his blood from his legs to his heart. He momentarily stopped breathing, but then it he started to pant heavily as his skin turned pink and steam began to rise off his body.

"Gear…SECOND!" he cried before he looked up to Shiki. "Who died and said that YOU should decide or destiny?"

**LEAP!** Luffy jumped at Shiki at lightning speed before the man even realized it.

"JET PISTOL!"

**POW!** Luffy laid a direct hit in Shiki's chest, sending him flying backwards into his own palace.

"BILLY!" Luffy called out. "HELP ME OUT!"

A loud quack was heard, and soon after, Billy appeared, ready to lend a helping…err…wing.

Luffy did several back-flips before he landed on Billy's back, keeping himself steady by holding onto the bird's feathers with one hand.

"THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I'LL LET YOU GO TO THE EAST BLUE!" Luffy roared.

Shiki grunted as he wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Damn brat." he cursed. "I'll destroy any man from the East Blue, no matter what!"

* * *

><p>Read and review, please!<p> 


	18. Ch 17 East Blue Men

**Ch. 17- East Blue Men**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>Usopp and Chopper headed back to the palace. Where they ended up appeared to be some sort of garden: a garden filled with IQ flowers!<p>

"IQ!" Chopper cried.

"So these are IQ plants?" Usopp questioned. "They're everywhere!"

Chopper looked around the room and saw how much the IQ was growing in the light of the moon coming through the windows.

"It looks like they grow the most in the moonlight," said Chopper.

Just then, his blue nose twitched. He looked up and saw a flight of stairs, and above that was a door. Whatever he was smelling was coming from behind it.

Without hesitation, Chopper quickly ran up the steps with an unconscious Nami riding piggyback.

"Where're you going, Chopper?" Usopp asked.

"I smell medicine behind that door!" Chopper answered him. "C'mon!"

Usopp obeyed and quickly followed behind.

Once the two Straw Hats opened the door, it was revealed that they had entered some sort of laboratory.

"This must be where they research the IQ," said Chopper, fascinated by everything in the room.

The smell somewhat reminded him of Dr. Kureha's lab.

"There antidote's gotta be in here, somewhere," said Usopp as he searched through some bottles and vials. "Which one of these should I give to Nami?"

"I'm not sure," Chopper answered him.

**PFFFT!** An air-ripping noise was heard.

Usopp inched away from Chopper in disgust.

"Oh, Chopper!" he groaned. "How could you let one rip at a time like this?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Chopper. "I didn't fart!"

"Ahem…"

Upon hearing someone clearing their throat, Usopp and Chopper looked up and saw Dr. Indigo, sitting over a railing. They both jumped back in surprise upon seeing the rather creepy-looking man.

"W-what the hell?" Usopp questioned.

"Who're you?" Chopper added.

"PIROPIROPIROPIRO!" Dr. Indigo laughed.

"This guy," Chopper started, "he smells like medicine and chemicals…are you some kind of doctor."

"Indeed, I am," Dr. Indigo answered. "Dr. Indigo, at your service."

"We need help!" said Chopper. "Our friend has contracted the Daft disease, and we need the antidote, right away!"

"PIROPIROPIROPIRO!" Dr. Indigo laughed, again. "What? You mean this?" He pulls out a small vial pink liquid from his pocket. "I've had it with me in case of an emergency. Sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have to hold on to it for a while."

Chopper growled at the man.

"Is that so?"

Usopp and Chopper gasped and looked back to see Zoro, wearing his usual devilish smirk, entering the room, all three swords drawn. Behind said swordsman lay a defeated four-tailed fox.

"Zoro!" Chopper cried.

"It's you!" Usopp added.

"He's the guy with the antidote, right?" asked Zoro. "Don't worry. I'll handle him for you."

"So," said Dr. Indigo. "You chased me all the way here, did you?"

"We'll let you deal with him, then, Zoro," said Usopp before he ran off. "Good luck! C'mon, Chopper!"

"Right!" Chopper said as he followed after the sniper, carrying Nami away.

Dr. Indigo jumped down in front of Zoro, his shoes making that same flatulent sound.

"Humph," he grunted. "You're going to take care of me, eh? _You_, a man from the _East Blue_? Who gives a damn if that insignificant sea was destroyed? I know I certainly wouldn't!"

Upon hearing that, Zoro finally snapped.

**KABLOW!** Dr. Indigo was sent flying though a wall, out of the laboratory and onto a bridge.

Zoro soon joined him and began to approach, preparing to attack, once again.

Before he did, however, Dr. Indigo suddenly stood up and spread his arms apart.

"Chemical Juggling…" said Dr. Indigo.

**FWEEP-FWEEP-FWEEP-FWEEP!** Small balls of purple-and-greenish-yellow flames appeared out of Dr. Indigo's palms and floated above him.

"IGNITE!" Dr. Indigo shouted.

The balls suddenly flew at Zoro, one-by-one. The swordsman swung his blades this way and that to block them as they exploded.

"Damn it!" Zoro cursed. "I can't dodge them!"

**BOOM!** One ball managed to collide with Zoro and exploded on impact.

Usopp and Chopper, who had been watching from afar, gasped in shock.

"Zoro!" Chopper cried.

"Are you okay?" Usopp called.

"PIROPIROPIROPIRO!" Dr. Indigo laughed, once again. "So, what do you think of the power of my Chemical Juggling?"

As the smoke cleared, Zoro emerged, unscathed.

"I don't have time to see any of your juggling crap, you clown!" he snarled through _Wado Ichimonji_.

Dr. Indigo seethed. Apparently, this man wasn't willing to go down, so easily, but luckily, he had a secret weapon. The doctor opened his arms and hands wider, creating a huge ball of flame, which made a bit of a menacing face.

"Mass Juggling…take THIS!" Dr. Indigo shouted as he threw the ball at Zoro, who had no way to avoid or block it.

**KABOOM!** The ball exploded as soon as it made impact with Zoro.

"ZORO!" Chopper and Usopp cried, worryingly.

Dr. Indigo smirked, believing that he had finished the pesky swordsman off.

He didn't know how wrong he was about to be.

Just then, something emerged from the pinkish-red flames. It was Zoro, still unharmed, much to Dr. Indigo's horror.

Was this man really some sort of a demon in disguise?

As Dr. Indigo stared, terrified at his opponent, Zoro suddenly began to undergo a change.

Two faces appeared at the sides of his head with swords in their mouths, followed by two more pairs of arms with equal blades.

"Nine-Sword Style…Demon Spirit…ASURA!"

"W…what's this?" questioned Dr. Indigo.

**FWOOSH!** Zoro charged from the flames, leaving a trail behind him.

"Let me ask you something," he hissed.

Dr. Indigo didn't appear to be deterred by Zoro's suddenly menacing visage. Instead, he prepared to fire another ball of flame from his hand.

"Chemical…"

"If you were defeated by a man from the East Blue…"

"JUGGLING!"

Dr. Indigo threw one more ball at Zoro, only for it disperse. The doctor gasped, now realizing what was coming to him.

"MENACING DRILL!" Zoro shouted as he spun around.

**SLASH!** Zoro struck Dr. Indigo, sending him flying into the air, and when he came back down, he seemed to explode, himself, thus destroying the bridge.

"Then what kind of a man are you?" Zoro finished asking.

"Whoa…!" Usopp gasped, clearly awestruck by Zoro's display of skill and power.

"Zoro's amazing," said Chopper.

Zoro, his extra faces and arms disappearing, picked up something from the ground and then tossed it to Chopper.

"Hey, Chopper!" he called. "Heads up!"

Chopper caught whatever Zoro had thrown to him in the very palm of his hand. It was revealed to be the vial of the antidote for the Daft Green. Just what Nami needed!

"It's the antidote!" Chopper exclaimed.

"I'm gonna head back!" Zoro called. "You guys take care of Nami!"

"Got it!" Usopp and Chopper called back as Zoro ran down the hall to the right.

"Wrong way, Zoro!" Usopp called out as he pointed to the left.

Zoro braked to a stop and then turned and ran the other way.

XXX

Down in the palace courtyard Brook and Sanji were standing back-to-back after they had just finished off some animals.

"Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho!" Brook chortled before he turned to Sanji. "Well done!" he praised.

"Yeah," said Sanji, "but they just keep coming, one after the other.

Suddenly, the sound of what appeared to be a large ape screeching filled the air, getting the two Straw Hats' attention.

"What was that?" asked Brook.

"What the hell…?" Sanji muttered before he jumped up to a nearby roof to get a better view at he was looking at, only to gasp in shock.

"Good lord…!" Brook gasped.

On top of a tower, there was Scarlet…and there, trapped in his clutches…was an unconscious Robin!

"ROBIN!" Sanji cried.

Scarlet pulled Robin close to him with big, puckered, slobbery lips and hearts in his eyes, attempting to kiss the incapacitated historian.

Sanji seethed in rage as flames began to form in his eyes.

How dare this dirty ape try to kiss Robin, right in front of him?

"What the hell…?" Sanji hissed, venomously. "You say that you're going to marry MY ROBIN? YOU PERVERT GORILLA!"

"HE UNDERSTOOD THAT BIG APE?"

**STOMP!** Sanji dropped his cigarette and stomped it out, causing the roof beneath him to crack before he began to dash along a ropeway leading to the tower.

"You bastard ape!" the cook growled. "How dare you harass Robin in front of my face!"

As Sanji kept running to Robin's rescue, a monkey with two pairs of nunchucks appeared, screeching at him.

"OUTTA MY WAY!" Sanji yelled.

**BAP!** He quickly kicked the monkey out of his way and continued to run.

"I'M COMING, ROBIN~!" he shouted as he dashed up a circular stairway at an incredible speed.

**SMASH!** Sanji crashed the roof of the tower, much to the surprise of Scarlet, who had his lips puckered.

"You've bitten off more than you can chew, Magilla," said Sanji. "You and your flunkies are gonna try and destroy the East Blue, huh? Do you even know…how many beautiful maidens there are in that sea?"

With that, Sanji began to rapidly spin around in place.

Scarlet merely roared and prepared to bring his mighty down upon the cook.

**FSSSSSSSHH!** Sanji had finished spinning, revealing that his leg was now ablaze. Before Scarlet could smash him, the cook jumped up into the air.

Scarlet looked around, but couldn't seem to find the man anywhere.

"Up here!"

The gorilla looked up and saw Sanji, coming in for a landing.

"Diable JAMBE!" shouted Sanji as the thrusts his right foot down.

Scarlet roared again as he prepared to punch Sanji away, but instead, the fiery sole of the cook's shoe made contact with his knuckle, burning it and kicking it away.

"Venison SHOOT!"

**BAP-BAP-BAP-BAP-BAP-BAP-BAP!** Sanji kicked, rapidly in Scarlet's chest and stomach. He wasn't finished there. The blonde soon raised up his heel and brought it down on Scarlet's crown with a **KONK!**

**SMASH!** The giant gorilla was sent crashing through the roof of the tower and plummeted to the bottom. However, in doing so, he had accidentally let go of Robin.

"That is the power of a man from the East Blue's love…" Sanji whispered as he looked down at the hole that had formed. Just then, he remembered something. "Oh, shoot! Robin!"

The cook jumped off the roof, preparing to catch her.

"Hang on, Robin!" Sanji called. "I, Sanji, your Eternal Knight of Love, shall-"

**ZIP!** Before Sanji could even get to Robin, a black-and-white blue zipped by and grabbed her.

It was none other than Brook.

"Are you all right, mademoiselle?" he asked Robin, who had finally begun to come around.

"Yes," Robin answered the skeleton. "Thank you, Brook."

Brook landed gracefully on the ground.

"HOW DARE YOU TAKE THE BEST PART FOR YOURSELF?" Sanji questioned, comically angry. "I OUGHT TO GRATE YOU WHOLE, YOU-"

**CRASH!** Sanji plummeted into the ground before he could finish his ranting.

"The only thing you can grate from me is bones…" said Brook.

XXX

Darkness.

That was all she could see, right now, but then, her eyes weakly began to open.

Nami was finally regaining consciousness. Once she did, she realized that she was being carried. Not only that, but she could familiar voices.

"Nami's safety is the most important thing, right now!"

_Usopp…?_ Nami thought, questioningly.

"You're right. We better get her outta here as soon as possible!"

_And Chopper, too?_ Nami thought.

She lifted her head up a bit to see Chopper and Usopp, running to who-knows-where.

"Where are we?" Nami asked.

Chopper gasped in delight upon hearing the navigator's weak voice and turned to her with a smile.

"Nami!" the human-reindeer said. "You're awake!"

"Looks like the antidote's finally working!" Usopp added.

"What are you guy's doing here?" asked Nami.

"What do you think we're doing here? Picking daisies?" Usopp answered her. "We came to take you back! Me, Chopper, Sanji, Zoro, Robin, Franky, Blizzard, Brook, AND Luffy! We're all here, Nami!"

Nami's eyes flooded with tears. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her crew didn't abandon her, after all. Even Luffy came, and she thought that he would never forgive her after she left him like that. She let out a sob and buried her face in Chopper's back.

"Thank you, so much…!" she cried.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Usopp soothed. "Calm down, Nami. Now's not the time for tears!"

"You're right," Nami sniffled as she wiped her tears away. "Sorry. So, where's Luffy? Last I saw him, he looked like he was about to confront Shiki.

"He is," Chopper corrected her. "He's actually fighting with him, right now!"

"What?" gasped Nami, questioningly. "But he can't! Luffy doesn't stand-"

"Nami, calm down!" Usopp said. "Look, stop worrying about him, okay? What, you thought that the first fight actually made a difference? Look at what happened with him and Crocodile! Sure, he lost a couple of times, but in the end, Luffy got stronger and came out on top, and I'm telling you now that the same thing's gonna be with Shiki! Luffy's a fighter! He'll pull through!"

"Yeah!" Chopper agreed. "Have faith in Luffy!"

Nami paused for a moment.

It was then that she realized that Usopp was right. Because of the result of the first battle with Shiki, Nami started to believe that no one could defeat Shiki, not even Luffy, and she began to lose faith in her captain's pride and spirit.

"You're right," said Nami. "I was being stupid. I have to put my faith in Luffy, no matter what!"

"That's the ticket!" Usopp praised.

"Besides…" Nami began, "if Luffy doesn't beat Shiki…then the East Blue is…"

She trailed off in the middle of her sentence before she looked up at the sky. The clouds were dark, and the pressure in the air was starting to drop. Nami gasped silently.

_This is…!_ she thought.

"Usopp! Chopper! Stop!" Nami ordered.

"Why?" asked Usopp. "What's wrong?"

"There's a storm coming this way," Nami answered.

"Really?" asked Chopper.

"Positive," replied Nami. "The pressure's dropping. There must be a huge storm could coming!"

"So what'll we do?" asked Usopp.

A pause came.

"Go back to the palace," Nami said.

"WHAT?"

* * *

><p>Sorry if it's not very good.<p>

Read and review, please!


	19. Ch 18 Preparations

**Ch. 18- Preparations**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Luffy, Billy, and Shiki were currently having all-out battle in the sky. They exchanged blows here and there, being sure to avoid falling rocks and a gigantic prehistoric bird that tried to eat them.<p>

Shiki threw slashes at Luffy, who used Billy to bash into his side.

As Billy flew to the main archipelago, Shiki gave a malicious smirk.

"It's high time we put an end to this," he said. "ZANPA!"

**SLASH!** Shiki threw one f his legs down, creating an air-based slashed that slice off a large cube of water.

Billy tried to evade it, but it was all in vain. Before they realized, he and Luffy were now trapped within. Luffy struggled to hold in his breath, as did Billy.

"JIHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Shiki cackled. "It's over, boy!"

**BELLIP-BELLIP-BELLIP!** The sound of a Transponder Snail ringing was hurt. Reaching into his coat, Shiki pulled out a Mini Transponder Snail.

"**Navigation team to Lord Shiki! Navigation team to Lord Shiki!"**

"What now?" asked Shiki, sounding a bit irritated.

"**Please direct the islands to the 3 o'clock position! A storm is coming this way!"**

"A storm, eh?" Shiki muttered, sounding a bit unsure. The last time he trusted these fools, they nearly got him killed in that cyclone. He looked up to the sky and didn't see any storm clouds, but if they said that there was a storm coming, then he might as well follow their instructions.

XXX

In the navigation room, one of the navigators were looking behind himself, rather nervously.

"Was that…good enough?" he asked, seemingly to no one in particular.

A closer look, though, revealed that it was Usopp, armed with his Kabuto, and Chopper, with a fist raised.

All around, other navigators were all knocked out.

They were holding up the navigation team!

"So what do you think, Nami?" Usopp asked. "Was that enough?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Are you sure we're headed for a huge storm?" asked Chopper.

"No. There's no storm coming, at all."

"WHAT?" Usopp and Chopper yelled in disbelief.

**RIP!** Nami, who stood at the front, tore off the bottom part of her dress.

"Still…" she said. "What choice do we have?"

XXX

Shiki had finished move the islands to the East, as the navigation team had instructed.

"That should do it," said Shiki before he looked down at Luffy, who, by this time, was letting large bubbles of air as he struggled to keep his breath in.

Because of his Devil Fruit, being in the sea water for so long had inevitably weakened Luffy to the point where he could barely move.

"What a pity," Shiki said to himself. "This child is obviously suffering. What a burden for a Devil Fruit user to carry. Still…there's nothing you can do for the East Blue. No one in the world will mourn its destruction. As for that girl, she's probably dead by now. As for you…I'd say the same thing. Allow me to put you out of your misery."

**SLISH! SLASH! SLASH!** Shiki made many air-based slashes with his swords, right at the giant bubble water.

"Golden Lion…VALLEY OF A THOUSAND CUTS!"

Suddenly, Luffy suddenly found the strength to move through the water and push himself and Billy out to into the air to breath. However, in doing so, he sent them both plummeting to the ground.

"AAAAAUUUUUUGH~!" Luffy screamed as he and Billy fell.

Shiki looked down at the two falling figures, smiling triumphantly. Then, he spotted something approaching.

"Huh? What's that?" he questioned before he gasped. "A perm?"

It was anything but a perm. It was, in reality, a huge, black storm cloud.

Nami had tricked the navigation team and caused Shiki to put himself and the island right into the storm!

XXX

Down at the palace, the animals had finally stopped their rampage and were now preparing to leave, which confused the pirates.

"Where are they going?" one questioned.

One of the pirate captains looked up and saw the storm cloud coming into view.

"It's the storm!" said the captain. "The island's headed straight for a storm! This is bad…you lot, screw Shiki! We're outta here!"

"Right!"

As the pirates began to take their leave, three of the Straw Hats appeared, a bit bruised from their respective battles, but otherwise fine.

"I got a bad feeling about this storm," said Franky.

Robin was standing in a door way, her Cien Fleur Delphinium technique being used to pass what looked like small sticks of dynamite to Chopper, who was in Heavy Point, and currently rigging them all around the lab.

"Those animals have suffered, too," said Chopper as he picked up more dynamite. "Shiki won't get away with this. None of them will!"

XXX

Blizzard and Brook were at the _Sunny_, together, tying something to yard arm of the mast.

"Phew!" Brook sighed. "I must say, this is a bone-breaking job! Though, if my bones actually did break, it would be the end of me…again! Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho! Oh."

Blizzard rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed sigh. In spite of this, all he could think about was Luffy.

The wolf-dog really hoped that he was okay, not that he was losing faith in him or anything like that.

XXX

In the meantime, Luffy was lying in a crater that he had formed in the ground, struggling to stand up as the effects of the sea water began to subside.

Billy stood beside him, worried that he might've overworked himself.

"Ugh…" Luffy groaned. "My head."

Billy let out a small squawk in worry.

"It's okay, Billy," Luffy said, trying to reassure his avian friend. "You can still fly…can't you?"

Billy pause for a moment, but then nodded in reply before letting out a loud squawk to the sky.

Luffy made a wide grin before he stood up, tall and proud, with a roar of his own.

"Let's go kick his ass!" said Luffy as he turned to Billy. "Take me…back to the sky!"

* * *

><p>Sorry if it's not what you're expecting, but rest assured knowing that the epicness will be coming up next! Trust me!<p>

Read and review, please!


	20. Ch 19 The Grand Finale

**Ch. 19- The Grand Finale**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

* * *

><p>Shiki floated over his now wrecked palace, seething in anger.<p>

"Look at this mess," he said to himself. "And all because of some damn brats!"

**QUAAAAAAAWW!** Shiki heard a familiar squawking sound. Looking to his right, he saw that it was Billy with Luffy in tow.

"Still alive, eh?" Shiki said before he prepared to go after the boy, but then…

"SHIKI!"

Shiki looked back upon hearing his name being called and saw Nami, standing on one of the towers.

"Nami!" Usopp called from down below. "Get back here! He'll kill you!"

Luffy gasped upon noticing his navigator.

"Look, Billy!" he shouted. "It's Nami!"

Billy let out a squawk, happy to see that she was all right.

"It's all over, Shiki!" Nami said to the man.

"What's all over?" questioned Shiki.

Down below, Chopper, in Walk Point, was dashing by with Robin atop his back.

"Nami!" he called. "Robin and I have finished rigging the explosives!"

"What?" Shiki questioned. "Explosives?"

"That's right, Shiki!" Nami answered. "I had Chopper and Robin rig the whole the place with dynamite! This place, your lab…everything will be destroyed! Face it! Your plan has FAILED!"

Shiki growled and snarled at Nami, and then spread his arms apart.

"**QUIT JOKING, BITCH!**" he roared.

Two large rocks appeared besides Nami, preparing to crush the very life out of her.

"Nami!" Sanji cried.

"As if a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears CHILDREN could ever put a monkey wrench in my 20-year plan!" shouted Shiki.

Usopp appeared on the roof, pulling on the shafts of the Kabuto and aiming at Shiki.

"Take this!" shouted the sniper. "Certain Death…HEAVENLY DRAGON STAR!"

**FWOOSH!** Usopp fired at Shiki, the resulting shot transforming into a huge dragon created by a celestial light.

"DO IT~!" Usopp cried.

Shiki ducked beneath the shot, causing it to hit the clouds.

**BOOM! FLASH!** Lighting flashed and cracked the sky.

"You're nothing but talk," said Shiki. "DIE!"

As Shiki closed the distance between his hands, the rocks flew at Nami, who only gasped.

"Billy! Go help Nami!" Luffy demanded.

Billy squawked in understanding as his passenger jumped off, thus allowing him to fly to Nami's aid.

**SMASH!** The rocks collided, destroying the tower and also causing Usopp to fall off.

Nami was nowhere to be seen.

"NAMI!" Sanji cried.

"CATCH M-" Usopp started before….

**BAM!** He landed, face-first, into the ground.

As the dust cleared, it was revealed that Nami was all right, for Billy had swooped in and grabbed her with his talons at the last second.

"Billy!" said Sanji.

At that moment, Blizzard suddenly appeared. Billy gently set Nami on the wolf-dog's back and squawked, as if to say "I'll leave her with you!"

**RUFF!** Blizzard barked, showing that he understood, before he turned tail and ran off with Nami in tow. Granted, he couldn't run very fast, but at least he was getting the navigator to safety.

As he was running, Nami gently stroked Blizzard fur, smiling weakly.

"Thanks, Blizzard," she praised, earning a smile from the wolf-dog.

Shiki seethed, his teeth gritted so hard, they looked like they were about to crack.

"Damn mutt…!" he growled before he prepared to go after him and Nami.

"Hold it, Shiki! I'm the one you're fighting!"

Shiki looked back to see Luffy, suspended in mid-air.

"Gear…THIRD!" he declared as he bit his thumb and blew air into it, causing it to grow huge. "Bone BALLOON!"

**BWOOP!** The air in Luffy's bones shifted from his arm to his torso.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Straw Hats were making a mad dash for the _Sunny_. While Robin and Nami were riding and Chopper and Blizzard's backs, Zoro, Sanji (who was dragging an unconscious Usopp behind him by his ankles), and Franky ran as fast as they could.

"Hurry, everyone!" Brook called out. "Get to Little Lion at once!"

Back with Luffy, the air shifted from his torso to his left leg, making it as gigantic as the monsters that lived on the island. With some effort, Luffy lifted his leg up and pointed it into the clouds.

**FLASH! BA-BOOM!** Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the sky.

"Stupid boy," Shiki said. "The lightning will only strike and kill you!"

"You're the one who's gonna die, Shiki!" Luffy declared.

"What?"

"I told you," said Luffy. "THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I'M LETTING YOU GO TO THE EAST BLUE!"

**FWASH!** Lightning cracked the sky, once again, striking Luffy's enlarged foot.

"JIHAHAHAHAHAHA~!" cackled Shiki. "DIE, BOY!"

XXX

At the _Sunny_, the crew and Billy were watching their captain begin to make his move from afar.

"Is that…?" Sanji started, questioningly before he carelessly dropped Usopp, who had just awoken.

"Here it comes!" Usopp proclaimed as he stood. "The Grand Finale! GO FOR IT, LUFFY~!"

_**ARROOOOOOOO~!**_ Blizzard howled out loud, joining Usopp in his cheering.

XXX

"Fool," Shiki said as he threw his arms apart. "I AM THE MAN WHO CONTROLS ALL THE WORLD'S SEAS FROM THE HEAVENS!"

"You're not gonna have your way…with my crew…or the seas…'CAUSE I WON'T LET YOU~!" Luffy roared.

**BOOM!** The lightning flashed even more, causing Luffy's foot to crackle with electricity.

"What the hell…?" Shiki gasped.

"Gum…GUUUUM…GIANT THOR AXE!"

Luffy threw his enlarged foot down at Shiki, who attempted to block it was large rocks as a last ditch effort to shield himself, but it was all in vain. Shiki didn't realize that Luffy was actually made of rubber, so instead of the lightning killing him, it had charged his attack.

Shiki's eyes widened as he remembered his first defeat, 22 years ago…at the hands of another pirate from the East Blue.

_Am I to be defeated…by a pirate from the East Blue, once again?_ he thought.

As Luffy's foot prepared to make impact, all Shiki managed to get out was this name…

"_**ROGER~!**_"

**KABOOM!** Luffy's leg struck down on Shiki, crushing him and forming a huge crack to form from the sheer power of it all. So much so, that it practically split the earth!

By this time, Franky had decided that now was a good time to leave and had taken the helm.

"Hang on SUPER tight, you guys!" the shipwright called. "We're heading off!"

"Franky, wait!" Nami protested. "We can't leave, yet!"

"Yeah!" Chopper agreed. "What about Luffy?"

Franky didn't appear to listen. He just pulled the lever.

"Coup de BURST!"

**BLOOOOOW!** The _Thousand Sunny_ blasted off, passed Shiki's ship and high into the air.

All everyone could do was watch as they left the island…and possibly their captain behind.

"LUFFY!" cried Usopp and Chopper.

"MISTER LUFFY!" Brook called out.

"Luffy…!" Robin whispered.

Zoro and Sanji just remained silent.

"Luffy!" said Nami.

Just then, Blizzard, on top of Billy's back for a change, flew off into the huge cloud.

"Blizzard! Billy!" Nami called to them. "Come back here!"

The ship began to fall towards the sea, but as it did…

**FWOOP!** Something opened up, above it. It was Shiki's sail, being used as a parachute to slow down the decent.

The Straw Hats watched…waited…listened for anything to let them know that their captain was still alive.

"C'mon, Luffy, you big idiot," Nami whispered. "I know you didn't give up, so easily…!"

As the sun started to rise, the Straw Hats started to hear something. It sounded like a soft groan, but then it got louder, and louder, and louder until became a roar of triumph, and out of the cloud came Blizzard, Billy, and…

"LUFFY!" everyone shouted, joyfully.

"OW!" Franky cheered. "I knew Straw Hat could do it!"

"He made it," said Brook, who was currently holding hands…err…hooves with Chopper. "Thank goodness."

"I'm so happy…!" Chopper sobbed.

"Thank God…" said Usopp, tearfully. "The East Blue is saved!"

"Yeah," said a smirking Zoro, "but that's a pretty undignified way to look after a victory."

"Got that right," said Sanji, taking a drag of cigarette.

"Yeah…" said a teary-eyed Nami.

Robin chuckled.

Atop Billy's back, it was revealed that Luffy was now in his shrunken, as expected after using his Gear Third. He panted, exhausted from the fight, but nonetheless alive.

**SLURP!** Luffy was met with a slobbery wolf-dog tongue to the face, courtesy of Blizzard. He merely snickered and gently pet his loyal friend on the side.

"I'm glad that you're okay, too, buddy," said Luffy.

_**ARRROOOOOOO~!**_ Blizzard arched his head up and let out a long, proud, victorious howl.

_**ARROOOOOOOO~!**_ Luffy howled out loud along with Blizzard.

_**QUAAAAWWWW~!**_ Billy, attempting to howl, himself, only let out a long squawk.

Because of the Straw Hats' efforts, the East Blue is now safe from a very major threat.

Luffy, who had gone back to his regular size, looked back and saw Shiki, Dr. Indigo, and Scarlet, plummeting down to the sea below. They weren't the only ones. Following behind them was the island.

"The island…" Franky murmured.

"With Shiki gone," Robin began, "the island can now return to the sea, where it belongs."

Nami watched as the island fell. Then she gasped, seemingly remembering something.

"Wait!" she cried. "What about Xiao and her mom and grandma?"

"You're right!" gasped Chopper.

At that moment, Usopp spotted something off the prow.

"Hey!" called Usopp. "Come look at this!"

Everyone gathered to the prow and saw, to their utter amazement, that Xiao, along with her mother, father, sister, and grandmother, as well as all the other villagers, were flying. The feathers on their arms had formed into fully grown wings!

Xiao laughed happily as she flew alongside her family. The feeling of flight was grand. She felt like she could be up in the sky and never come back down.

"They're flying!" Chopper chirped, excitedly.

"Like living angels…" Sanji commented.

"Thank God…" said Nami before she suddenly collapsed, but was soon caught in Chopper's arms.

"Whoa, whoa! Nami!" Chopper said. "Take it easy!"

Everybody gathered around Chopper, looking Nami over and seeing if she was all right.

"Nami!" Sanji cried.

"Hang in there, sis!" Franky added.

Billy soon landed on the ship with Luffy and Blizzard in tow.

Moments later, the Marines had arrived and were now apprehending the pirates that had been summoned by Shiki. However, one of the soldiers spotted the island that was falling towards the sea.

"The island's falling! Fall back! FALL BACK!"

The Marine captains didn't do anything. They just stood and watched while the rest of the soldiers fled to the cabins.

**CRASH!** The island fell into the water, creating a huge wave that could've caused the Marine battleships to capsize.

One Marine spotted Shiki floating in the water, but just when they were about to arrest him, one of the Marine captains spotted something in the distance.

It was the _Thousand Sunny_, floating down gently to the ocean below.

"The Straw Hats! Forget about 'Golden Lion' Shiki! Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat crew are our top priority!"

"Yes, sir!"

And so, the Marines moved in, preparing to give chase to the Straw Hat Pirates, once again.

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><p>The fight may be over, but that doesn't mean that the story is, yet! Stay tuned!<p>

Read and review, please!


	21. Ch 20 Forgiven

**Ch. 20- Forgiven**

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><p>One Piece © Oda<p>

Blizzard © Me

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><p>It's been quite a day at Marine HQ. Fleet-Admiral Sengoku was currently getting a status report on the apprehension of Shiki and his men, and he didn't notice that his pet goat was currently munching on some paper.<p>

On the other end of the line of a Transponder Snail, one of the Marine captains was speaking.

"**Yes, sir. It was indeed the Straw Hat Pirates."**

"The Straw Hats?" Sengoku questioned in shock.

"**We're still investigating, though, but rest assured, we will provide full details later."**

"Understood," said Sengoku. "Dismissed."

With that, Sengoku hung up. He then heaved a sigh of exasperation and frustration.

After all the searching, all the investigating that they had done, he knew that the Marines were not the ones who put a stop to Shiki, once-and-for-all.

"When are 'Straw Hat' Luffy and his crew going to stop doing our jobs for us and start being REAL pirates, for a change?" the Fleet-Admiral thought aloud.

XXX

On the _Thousand Sunny_, it has been a day since the events at Melville.

In the women's quarters, Chopper had just finished treating Nami, who had finally recovered from the effects of the Daft Green poison.

"Looks like you've reached full recovery, Nami," said the little reindeer. "However, if I were you, I wouldn't push myself too hard."

"It's all right, Chopper," said Nami as she prepared to get out of bed. "I just wanna go outside, that's all."

"I see," said Chopper. "Then go ahead! Everyone's been waiting for you, anyway!"

Nami nodded in understand. She wouldn't blame for feeling worried, after all.

As she got out of bed, she stopped and looked at her vanity mirror, mostly at the bracelet that Nojiko had given her in the reflection. She smiled to herself. Nami no longer had any regrets, knowing now that the East Blue was safe from tragedy and that her captain had taken her back without question. With that, she headed out the door that Chopper had exited from.

"Hey, guys!" Chopper called to everyone else on the deck. "Nami's awake!"

The rest of the Straw Hats looked up to see their navigator at 100%, again.

"NAMI, MY DEAR~!" swooned Sanji as he twirled around.

"So, you feeling SUPER, sis?" asked Franky.

"Yup," Nami answered. "Just fine." She stretched her arms and sighed. "Oh, I feel so good."

"Glad to see that you're doing well," said Brook. "Now, down to important matters. Pardon me, Miss Nami, but do you mind if I-"

**BAM!** Sanji delivered a kick to the skeleton's afro before he could finish.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" he barked.

"Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!" Brook laughed. "That was a tad HARSH!"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Sanji yelled.

Nami smiled at the two perverts, glad to see that everything had returned to normal.

**ARF! ARF!** Blizzard barked as he ran up to Nami, jumping up to her and licking her face, happily.

"Hi, Blizzard!" Nami greeted, laughing. "I'm glad to see you, too!"

However, in spite of the moment, one Straw Hat seemed to be the least joyful. That was Luffy, who was sitting on the rail, fishing. The Straw Hat captain looked back with a pout on his face before he jumped off and approached Nami.

"Hey, Nami!" he called. "You've got some explaining to do…about this!"

From behind his back, Luffy revealed the Tone Dial.

Nami gasped before she rushed down the stairs.

"W-wait, Luffy!" she stammered. "I can explain!"

"You said I couldn't beat Shiki and that we were all gonna die!" Luffy spat as Nami came over to try and take the Tone Dial away, but he kept jerking and pulling it away from her. "You've gotta be joking! Sure, he buried me and all that, but the reason why I couldn't beat him then was because I got hungry, again!"

"That's your only excuse?" Zoro questioned.

"But, Luffy," Nami began, "I only said that because-"

"I can't believe you didn't have faith in us!" Luffy argued, cutting her off. "Me, especially! You should know that you could always trust me after all we've been through, together! I'm very disappointed in you!"

Everyone stared at their captain in surprise.

"Luffy," said Usopp. "What are you saying?"

"Huh?" Luffy muttered. "What are you talking about?"

"You mean you didn't hear all of it?" Zoro questioned.

"Hear all of what?" Luffy asked.

"Nami was in quite predicament, Luffy," said Robin.

"That's what I thought, too," said Chopper. "But after I heard it-"

"Heard what?" Luffy asked, getting impatient.

"Man, you're the most thickheaded person I know," said Sanji. "Although, all I heard was Nami's message of love."

"Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho…!" Brook chortled.

"I made that message especially for you," said Nami. "I thought a simpleminded idiot like you would be able to understand."

"Then maybe we should listen to it, again," Franky inquired.

"Now, wait just a minute!" Nami barked.

"Right," said Luffy before he pressed the apex and held the Tone Dial up to his hear. The moment he did, Nami started to chase him to try and get it back.

"Luffy, no!" he shouted. "It's way too embarrassing! Give it here!"

"Shush!" Luffy said. "I can't hear it!"

"Everything's back to the way it was," Nami said, "so we don't need it anymore!"

**GRAB!** Nami grabbed the Tone Dial from Luffy, turned it off, and ran to the other side of the deck.

"Hey!" Luffy cried as he chased after her.

Just when Nami was about to throw the Tone Dial overboard, Usopp suddenly grabs it from her hand.

"Usopp!" Nami spat.

"What the hell are you doing?" Usopp asked. "We can't just throw this away! We can still use this!"

"I don't care!" Nami argued. "Give it to me!"

Luffy snatched the Tone Dial out of Usopp's hand and clicked it back on, listening to the message. Nami gave chase after him, again, followed by Usopp.

Everyone just watched as the three fought over the dial, like a bunch of children fighting over a toy that they all wanted to play with.

"Luffy, come back here, right! Gimme that dial!"

"No, Nami! Don't throw it out!"

**"Everyone…I'm sorry. Forgive me for not saying goodbye to you all, personally."**

Luffy was backed up against the rail, trying to keep the Tone Dial out of Nami and Usopp's reach.

**"I'm going to be a part of Shiki's crew, from now on. Please try to understand. Shiki is a very legendary man, and he's just too powerful, even for Luffy!"**

Suddenly, Nami grabbed by his shoulders.

**"If you fight him, you'll all be needless sacrifices."**

Without warning, she suddenly pulled Luffy close…

And then…she captured her captain's lips with her own.

At first, she thought that Luffy was going to try and pull away from her, but after a moment, she felt him pressing his lips further, deepening the kiss.

It was that the she knew…that she had been forgiven.

**"So…let me just say this…"**

Luffy unwittingly dropped the Tone Dial the moment Nami kissed him. It bounced across the deck, and Usopp soon gave chase after it in an attempt to grab it.

However, Blizzard opened his mouth to yawn, but the moment he did, the Tone Dial bounced into his mouth.

"Blizzard! WAIT!" Usopp cried.

**GULP!** It was too late. Blizzard had swallowed the Tone Dial.

"_**NOOOOOOOOOOO!**_"

"**Please…save me…!"**

**THE END**

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><p>Well, that's it! It's the end! I hope you guys didn't mind the bit of romance I put in here.<p>

Anyway, read and review, please!


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